


Fix You

by PrincesaParkerina



Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Rape/Non-con Elements, Set after 'El Genio', Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-03-02 11:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18810130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincesaParkerina/pseuds/PrincesaParkerina
Summary: Francis gets a hold of the Genie's Lamp,he thinks of many things he could wish for himself but settles for wishing he can go back in time and save his Grand Chef from the traumas that shaped the man he had become.Will it work?Will Francis come back to a present he always wanted or things will have changed to irreversible levels?If they did,was it for the best or he's only even more miserable than he already was?





	1. EMA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We can't control our feelings,we can only control what we do about them.

"What do I wish!!!! You had so many things in mind,Francis,but now that you finally got your hands on the lamp,you decide it's a good time to blank out...." Francis huffed in frustration,adorable little frown adorning his thin,pale lips, one hand holding firmly to the genie's lamp the Captain and the Rulos were playing around with earlier,slender fingers hovering over it,almost tapping the shiny,golden object with his other hand.

 

 

Using all the willpower he could gather in the world to stop himself from accidentaly rubbing the lamp.

It was nearly 1am and he was still in uniform,at the Control Cabin,sitted stiffly on Lila's chair,the red-haired stern conductor went to bed an hour ago,leaving EMA driving,Francis was never marked as a Intruder,so he could stay without the alarm going off,the talented waiter looked down at the golden object again.

So tempting.

"This is silly....I don't even know if it will work or not...." Francis sighed in resignation,he knew for a fact it didn't.

The first Genie that appeared was Captain Topa and the second one was _Arnoldo_.

The aspiring magician was indeed very surprised by the lengths his boss and partner in most ways was willing to go to prank the Rulos.

Today the Grand Chef was actually in a good mood,before dressing up as a Genie and even allowing Francis to apply make up on him,the prideful chef had also let his apprentice change the popcorn from sweet to regular salt.

This was actually a huge deal.

All of it.

Arnoldo had a good day and consequently,so did Francis.Too bad it wouldn't last long.

The overworked waiter held the lamp closer to his chest and looked up at the beautiful view outside the large window of the Cabin.The monorail was going through a nice,quiet,populated area,far enough from the Cities for the moon and stars to still be bright,clear and gorgeous,bathing the young waiter in the shining moonlight,Francis let a huge,gap-toothed smile take over his oddly handsome,adorable yet very tired features.

The curly-haired boy tapped his fingers softly around the lamp,dark olive gaze still focused ahead,he had managed to keep it away and safe for the rest of the day,thinking of many wishes he could ask for,if anyone deserves to get a real wish granted it's him,as an aspiring magician,he has a few tricks he wants to try and see if this time it will work.

Turns out,Christina Aguilera's song was right,you gotta rub it the right way.

"I...could be rich.... could be a rich,famous magician that travels around the world and.... leaves Arnoldo and Junior Express behind for good.....I could be a famous,renowned Chef!!! And have Arnoldo as my assistant!!! Or... I could be a famous Ballet dancer like I've always wanted as a kid!!! Yeah!!!....Francis,aren't you too old for that?.... " the kind waiter's enthusiastic smile turned quickly into a deep frown,he had just turned 19,dancing,especially Ballet of all things takes a lifetime of training,dedication and-

"No,you are not." Francis was startled out of his melancholic thoughts upon the sound of a robotic voice,he looked up from tugging dejectedly at his yellow towel.

Oh.

Francis doesn't really know how he still somehow manages to forget he's not alone at the Cabin anymore.

"Huh?"

"You are not too old to pursue anything you aspire to be,Francis,you are still very young and still have time to get back to practicing your many,many skills." the robotic female voice reassured the troubled waiter whose had his mouth agape in surprise.

"EMA,that's....surprisingly very sweet and helpful,thank you,if you could actually drink it I would go and fetch you some tea..." Francis quipped,one thick eyebrow arched,laughing awkwardly at the robot and nudging air with his elbow.

There was still some iced chamomille tea left in the refrigerator,he had made it for Arnoldo less than an hour ago,he could use some himself if he's honest.

"I would have appreaciated nonetheless,Francis,my data tells me you are the best and most responsible waiter in the world,the most valued by Captain Topa,I am absolutely sure your tea is the best that can be tasted by human tastebuds all over the world." By this point,Francis was completely hunched on Lila's chair,curled around the lamp,usual pale face completely red under the gleaming moonlight,a smile so big and radiant it could reach the ceiling and rival the full moon's own natural light.

"EMA,I....you are absolutely right,I _am_  the best and most responsible waiter in the world.Irreplaceable,actually." Francis replied smugly,sudden dose of confidence kicking in,the skilled raven-haired boy stood up from the chair and skipped around the Cabin,leaving the lamp by the control's panel,getting close to EMA and hugging the robot's square head,sighing contentedly and fluttering his eyes shut to display gorgeous long lashes.

"Thanks again,EMA,you made me realize I really don't need anything else and already got everything I want!!! I don't need to be rich or make a life out there as a Magician,a Professional Clown or a Grand Chef like Arnoldo,I already...." Francis' dreamy ramble stopped abruptly,he suddenly sat up from his comfortable position sprawled by the Control Panel,careful not to lay close to any buttons.EMA's head tilted curiously towards the overworked boy she knows as Francis who had just sorrowfully let go of her.

Francis,the waiter.

Sleeps two hours a day,eats once a day,always willing to help and cheer up anyone who reaches for him,despite his very own constant weariness,clever quips,has a dubious relationship with the prideful Grand Chef Arnoldo that lasts for years,a man whose constantly threatens and belittles the young assistant,yet always tells everyone how great and important the boy is to him when he's not listening.

EMA's advanced mind genuinely can't grasp that concept.

If Grand Chef Arnoldo says to the others how valuable and irreplaceable Francis the waiter is,why not treat him as such? 

Why not tell him? 

"Already have everything...." the curly-haired boy with big,broad shoulders reluctantly finished his own train of thought,looking down sadly at the genie lamp.

"Francis,it is very late at night,you should be in pyjamas and fast asleep like everyone else." the robot showed holographic footage of everyone's bunkrooms. 

Carlos was half out of his blanket,long,lean,thigh-high sock covered legs completely out of the too-small-for-him-bed,still his sleep looked mostly undisturbed.

Rulo Ricardo held tightly to his teddy Bear,Rulo Ricardito,Rulo Rolando had his feet up his end of Carlos' bed,kicking in during his sleep.

Perhaps those giant ants are attacking again.

Captain Topa had woken up twice,went to the bathroom,got a glass of water,watched a few videos of kids singing his songs on Instagram and youtube,now the talented singer looked deep asleep,possibly drooling over his tablet.Francis snickered quietly to himself,covering his mouth,everyone looked adorable.

The holographic footage switched to Natalio and Harmony's storage room.Natalio had small ear buds playing ocean sounds on his ears to keep his agitated mind peaceful at night,a solution from Harmony,who also looked very dead to the world at the moment.

From her own secluded room,Lila kept whispering and making puppets with her hands in her sleep,it was so sweet and just a regular night at the monorail.

EMA switched the footage to Francis and Arnoldo's room,Francis' bottom bunk bed looked spotless,but the older brunet man seemed restless in his sleep on his top bunk,throwing his blankets then his stuffed donut pillows accross the room furiously,grunting loudly and kicking whatever his still closed eyes could find,which just so happens to be a giant ice cream cone plush and a giant ice cream sandwich plush,all gifts from Capitán Topa,suggested by Francis,who personally could not afford a single one of these.

Stubborn tears were running down the Grand Chef's round cheeks,he was close to falling from the bed.

Not again,twice in one night....Francis had caught him the first time,but right now he was definitely not there to do so and his boss would no doubt be very sensitive about that.

"Arnoldo!!! I'm sorry,EMA,it was very nice talking to you but I gotta go!!!" Francis shouted alarmingly,putting the lamp safely away by one of the panel's drawers,almost out the doors already-

"Francis,wait,I have a question." the robotic voice echoed through the room.

"What is iiittt,EMAAAA...." the talented waiter couldn't help but whine,he should make sure not to forget to ask Harmony in the morning to find something to help Arnoldo,she had seemed to do quite okay with Natalio,Topa and Carlos so far.

"Would you tell me what is it that deeply disturbs the Gran Cocinero Arnoldo's sleep ever since he first came here?" the feminine robotic voice was neutral and lacked emotion,still Francis stopped in his tracks,he would appreciate having her to talk to about it even if she might not really grasp human emotions.

She at least answers back when he talks to her,he can't say the same about the walls and kitchen appliances.

"I'm sorry,EMA,but it's a really long story and I really gotta go,permiiiiiso." Francis said in a hurry,he had to run quite a while,their room is on the opposite side of the Cabin.

During these moments the soft,kind boy misses the days when the Nave was his safe space,much closer to their room in case something like this occurs.

Francis stopped by the kitchen,getting another glass of tea and putting on a tray.

Why wasn't it working today?

Maybe it should be stronger.


	2. Chamomille and Sprinkled Donuts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arnoldo's stuffed donuts and ice cream and whatever the hell else he has are a blessing.

"Get away from me!!! Don't you dare get close to me!!! I am not afraid of using violence against you!!!!" Arnoldo screamed and squirmed near violently on Francis' broad arms,his very distressed Chef has woken up worse somehow.

He was shaking,sobbing,miliseconds from throwing Francis out of his bed and possibly send the boy flying accross the room along with the many plush sweets that littered the floor at the moment,thankfully the raven-haired waiter has gotten strong enough to prevent that from happening.

 

 

 

Again.

"Arnoldo,Arnoldo....it's okay,señor... there's- there’s no one else here,it's only me,Francis, _your_ Francis, _your_ waiter..." the sassy apprentice was close to tears himself,mostly out of frustration,taking off the older's hat,putting it over one of the decorative ice cream cones by the headboard.

Francis pat the mustached man's light brown hair with trembling,stiff fingers,trying to lean Arnoldo's head against one of his thick shoulders,the brunet chef took sharp breaths in his sleep,rough hands grasping air until he got a good grip on the waiter's vest,holding impossibly tight to it,finally allowing himself to rest by the younger's shoulders,Francis sighed wearily,pulling Arnoldo even closer to his body,resting his soft chin over the man's silky feeling light hair.

The skilled apprentice found himself leaning his head down,kissing the older man's forehead softly,getting a hold of one of the remaining yellow,sprinkled,plush donuts scattered by the bed,which the older man instinctively put his hand through it's hole,waving it in,earning a soft,weary smile from the curly-haired teen.

if only there was something more effective Francis could do,if only he could go back in time and stop Don Enzo from ever hurting his Arnoldo.

Perhaps life would have been easier for the both of them.

The gran cook's dark eyes snapped wide open at finally registering Francis' voice and the boy's light,stiff yet very familiar touch,looking up at the much younger man with pure terror taking over his dark brown orbs.

"Francis??!!! What are you doing here???!!! You can't be here!!! Leave!!! Right this instant!!! If he touches one single strand of that greasy,curly hair of yours,I'm gonna-" Arnoldo started moving out of Francis' tight hold again in absolute desperation,yelling like a madman once again. 

Francis' eyes getting wide,the talented apprentice trying to keep the stubborn chef far enough from the edge of the bed otherwise both will fall from up here and it's not gonna be pretty.

"Arnoldo,please,you gotta wake up,there's only us here,look..." Francis tried to say reasuringly,tilting the man's head to the side by his own soft,double chin so he could look around their room,that just so happens to be an absolute mess as of right now.

Hurricane Gran Cocinero just passed by.

Arnoldo's frantic movements seemed to quiet down a bit but he was still breathing heavily,taking some distance from Francis to get a grasp of his surroundings,letting go of the waiter's vest and gripping onto the yellow plush donut instead,the young waiter let go of his boss slowly,aprehensively,reluctantly so.

"Francis...what time is it? Is it time for Breakfast yet?" Arnoldo rubbed at his teary,red eyes with the back of one hand and clutched the plush donut to his chest with the other.

His back leaning against the window,the talented waiter settled for patting the Grand Chef's shoulder stiffly,handing him a few tissues in which the older man yanked away from the boy's hand.

"No,señor,it's only 1:43 am,far from Breakfast time..." Francis said promptly,somewhat fake cheery smile adorning his thin lips,Arnoldo looked back at the boy with an incredulous,tired and unimpressed look.

"Then what are you still doing in your uniform, Francis... you should be asleep in your pyjamas and on your own bed,I already told you,if you don't rest-" 

"I'll be useless in the kitchen tomorrow,I know..." the talented assistant said swiftly,rolling his eyes,leaving Arnoldo hanging mid-lecturing gestures.

"If you already know,Francis,then why-" Arnoldo gave a good once over at the complete mess that was their room,glancing back at his apprentice with suspiscious,narrowed eyes.

"What is this mess,Francis?? All these blankets,my pillows and gifts from Capitán Topa fallen to the ground,was it you? Is that why you're still awake? Did you do this?? Don't lie to me,Francis,you know I can always tell if you do,you're a terrible liar,even worse actor." the prideful chef warned,tone of voice light and playful,not really matching the weight of his words,the large Italian man turned to his assistant expectantly with crossed arms and the ever tapping,agitated fingers.

"N-no,señor,I mean...." Francis dipped his head,tugging softly at his towel,he will probably have to admit the fault as his own and organize it all himself before even considering sleep,like all the other times-

"It was me,wasn't it,Francis?" Arnoldo glanced up at his waiter suddenly,putting the sprinkled yellow donut aside,like he had just realized something,dark brown eyes displaying a small hint of guilt and....maybe _even_ embarassment?

"Uh..." Francis looked very confused,taken aback by the turn in conversation and sudden shift of emotions on his short-tempered Chef's round,soft features.What's happening? 

"You can say it,Francis,I won't mind,I did all this... Didn't I? I didn't let you sleep?" Arnoldo sat closer to Francis against the headboard,getting his hat back from a light pink ice cream cone and adjusting it on his head,voice low and somber,resented,all the banter and playfullness gone.

"Bueno.....Look!!! I brought more chamomille tea!" Francis grabbed the near forgotten glass containing tea from his tray,anxiously handing it to the stubborn cook,who took it hesitantly yet gladly,although it was giving the brunet man a weird sense of deja vu.

"Grazie,Francis,siempre tan amable,always knows what I need...." Arnoldo took one large sip and then it suddenly clicked.

"Un momento... Don't you change the subject!!! Mire bien mi cara and be honest with me.Who made this mess???" as usual,the prideful Italian cook did point at his own face,that right now,looked way more towards miserable and tired than actually angry.

Francis could say the same about his own face at the moment.

Or any moment,to be precise.

"....Usted,señor...?" Francis tried,ducking his head,ready for death,Arnoldo hummed in contentment,patting and squeezing the waiter's broad shoulder firmly,Francis tried not to wince.

That was...the right answer,apparently.

"And who's gonna clean it?" Arnoldo was eerily calm all of a sudden,back to sipping his once iced chamomille tea.

".... Yo?" Francis tentatively pointed at himself.

"Of course,Francis!!! You're the simple assistant here! Yo soy Arnoldo,el Gran Cocinero,my own job is already hard enough! My work is Art,Francis,it takes time,effort,creativity!!! I can't afford to waste my energy and genius mind cleaning rooms and tables,that is for simple waiters like you,whose job doesn't require you to think,no offense,Francis..." Arnoldo burst out suddenly,startling the raven-haired boy.

The brunet chef finished his tea,handing the empty glass back to his waiter.

"None taken...." Francis set the glass back on the tray,curling in on himself once again,pulling his vest down,genuinely thinking that for a few seconds Arnoldo had changed,even if just a little,taking responsibility for his actions just this once.

Even if they were subconcious actions the man couldn't control,Francis' olive eyes widened upon realizing the cook in question had gotten down from his top bunk,about to leave the room altogether with a giant ice cream cone plush and a dark blue blanket under his arms.

"Arnoldo,wait,where are you going,señor??" Francis jumped down from the bed easily,grabbing cautiously to his cook's arm once the skilled waiter caught up to him.

Arnoldo yawned,covering his mouth,swaying on his spot,dark brown eyes half-lidded,the curly-haired waiter's strong tea kicking in almost immediately,Francis did smile proudly a bit at that.

He is a very good,efficient waiter.

"Where do you think,Francis??? I'm- I'm going to sleep somewhere else where I won't bother.... won't bother you with my....stupid...nightmares..again-" Arnoldo grumbled sleepily,eyelids closing shut completely.

"Woah-" Francis stumbled back,nearly falling to the ground when the Grand Chef instantly fell forward,dead asleep,plush ice cream almost his own size and blankets falling from his grip abruptly,the curly-haired boy barely managed to catch the man before both fell.

Francis held on to Arnoldo with all his might,breathing in and out,these strong arms really really are coming in handy.

It downed on the waiter that Arnoldo was leaving the room,they were already by the double doors,the stubborn Chef was ready to look for another place to sleep.... 

So he would stop disturbing Francis.

Something was oddly different about today.

Francis picked up Arnoldo bridal style with slight effort,the waiter gave out a few restrained grunts,the older man murmured something in his sleep,moving around the aspiring Magician's arms,pulling yet again at the boy's tight vest.

Still,Francis succesfully managed to carry without much difficulty the very heavy Chef,even managing to lay the stubborn man back on his own top bunk,one hand securing the short-tempered man by the shoulders,his head leaning against the younger's own shoulder once again,the other hand holding up thick legs.

Francis covered Arnoldo with a dark blue blanket,adjusting the hat in place and receiving a soft purr from the mustached cook in response.

Francis grinned softly,hopefully Arnoldo will sleep longer this time.

The skilled apprentice didn't intend to get some shut-eye himself for the time being just yet,despite how tired he was.

Francis tugged down his vest and tried to adjust it,he has a plan,he hopes to anyone who can hear him that it please work.

He needs it to work.

For his and Arnoldo's sake.

Francis' hand held on stiffly by the older's nightgown covered shoulder,looking down in contemplation at the large,peaceful looking,snoring figure under the covers,holding tightly to the huge ice cream sandwich plush.

Arnoldo himself had never told Francis the real source of his nightmares but the waiter found out very unexpectedly during a quick two week Vacation trip him and Arnoldo took to visit the Chef's Family in Italy the year prior,Nunciatina had convinced the man to go visit her and the rest of the family during her last visit to the monorail.

She obviously let very clear to bring Francis along,the older blonde woman loved him dearly the moment she laid eyes on him and most of Arnoldo's family did too.

She wasn't too keen on the idea of finding out her son is dating an 18-year-old boy instead of having a wife and giving her grandchildren,but Francis was just too lovable,smart,skilled,caring,sincere,an overall great addition to the family that she couldn't just deny.

She had said as long as her Arnoldo treats Francis right,she's willing to accept them.

Francis really didn't want to break her heart by revealing a few dark truths about their relationship,also by now the talented apprentice would barely recognize what "being treated right" means if it hit him.

Someday maybe,he'll know.

Francis took one last look at his sleeping,prideful Italian Chef,fixing the pink,sprinkled donut pillow in place before quietly heading out the room.

Hopefully,he'll know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually love Arnoldo so much it physically pains me,always did AND my writing on Francis suffers greatly with it.  
> Poor boy.  
> He stuck with that man forever because of me.


	3. Interlude: Monster

Upon meeting Don Enzo,the man was indeed the most quiet and secluded of the Bertolazzi's,seeming to observe carefully every step his son and Francis took.The one to pull the charming waiter aside and tell him a "loony story" that no one cares to listen to since the woman is nearly 100 years old and lost most of her memory.

 

 

Was Arnoldo's Nonna.

She rarely ever leaves her rocking chair,had many many tales to tell Francis one night when the boy had trouble sleeping,not completely used to the new,'homey' enviroment,he was kissed,hugged,pushed around and had his cheeks pinched way too many times,they are still hurting.

Arnoldo's cousin,Rebecca was very much a blonde Doris with flawless make-up,high heels 24/7 and her stories about Kid Arnoldo that went from simply catching butterfiles to nearly killing a kid with a frying pan,now Francis understood why his chef always liked Doris so much,despite being very entertaining,Rebecca's stories just weren't like Nonna's.

Rebecca didn't tell him about Arnoldo's food coma in which he was hospitalized for days,he had been bullied into it at 9-years-old.

The talkative woman with long,blonde curls also didn't tell him about the monster who would visit Arnoldo's room at night,take the boy's clothes while he was asleep and muffle his screams if he happened to wake up,did she even have any idea of that? 

Francis was horrified,all of this had to be true,who could he talk to about this? He just couldn't bottle this up,he would explode,it was just such a huge deal that might partially explain Arnoldo's behavior to this very day.

At their last day in Palermo,Rocco,Arnoldo's younger brother whose personality seemed to be opposite the great cook's was helping Francis pack his things.Francis couldn't take this anymore and questioned the quiet,timid brunet man about their father's beyond questionable actions,feeling cornered,Rocco told Francis it was all indeed true,the man had gone after not only Arnoldo but himself and Giuseppe too,they had been threatened at gunpoint to remain silent,Enzo went as far as even threatenening to kill Nunciatina if they dared tell her or anyone.

They grew up to see the man treated with honor and respect by everyone outside,saw their mom treat with disgust men like her husband,yet never knowing who she really had at home.

Francis squeezed Arnoldo's shoulder firmly,resting his head against the older man's for a moment,shutting his eyes,breathing in and out.

The skilled waiter stood up with determination to his dark green gaze and soft features.

He has a Mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not one to have frequent nightmares or anything actually but 'My Arnoldo' was plagued by them until the day she died,I might have woken up listening to her a few or plenty of times.


	4. Don't Kiss The Genie

Francis had gone to the Resting car this time instead of staying at the Cabin,sitting by the red couch,hands hovering over the Lamp,he took a sharp breath,closing his eyes shut and rubbing the golden object the way his magic book instructed him to.

He was aware it wasn't a real lamp but a fancy,golden teapot Nonna gifted the stubborn chef many years ago,Francis doesn't know how did it get into the Rulos' hands.

Still,it's not that hard to guess.

The thing is,the troublemaker Triplets had a point,it looked a lot like a genie lamp so Francis looked all over his spellbook and found a way for it to work as a lamp.

He has yet to find out if it really does work.

Blue smoke took over the room,Francis coughed lightly and fanned his hands around,tugging down at his towel afterwards, looking up to find a beautiful genie dressed in purple,who so happens to look a lot like Harmony of all people.

"Harmony?? Dang it,it didn't work again...." Francis dipped his head,running pale fingers over his towel,he's gotten too confident.... 

 How was he so stupid to think a simple,regular teapot would work as a magic,genie lamp,he is the one giving in to crazy delusions these days.....

 

 

The skilled assistant looked up with dejected olive eyes once delicate,slender fingers lifted his soft chin.

"I can assure you,it indeed worked,Master,I only happened to take the physical form of the person who has helped you most in the past years." 'Harmony's' soft voice told the overworked assistant,still carressing his chin,Francis breathed out a chuckle,shaking his head slightly and pulling away.

"Harmony,this makes absolutely _no sense,_ you're clever,you could have come up with a better excuse.Look,I have no time for this,okay? I'm tired and I should have gone to sleep long ago,permiiiiiso..." the young apprentice said,somewhat irritated,more at himself than at the helpful girl,it wasn't his intention to be rude to her.

But he's just so frustrated at himself for believing he could fix a serious of an issue such as his cook's and the man's siblings' horrifying traumatic past with _magic_ ,just like that in the first place.

He can be so foolish sometimes,Genie Harmony floated to catch up to the skilled boy,stopping in front of the double doors to keep him from leaving,Francis huffed,running a weary hand over his face.

"Harmony..." 

"Master Francis,wait!!! It's not a prank!!! I can prove it!!! I can grant you anything you wish,except for-" 

"Let me guess,making people fall in love with you and bringing people back from the dead." the curly-haired boy said plainly.

"I don't li-" 

"You don't like doing it,yeah,just let me go... por favor....I..." Francis very much pleaded,Genie Harmony held on firmly to the charming assistant's thick arms.

"Wish for anything,just try it." the pretty genie with light brown hair and caramel eyes insisted,by now the boy with raven,curly hair simply shrugged,why not,it's not gonna work anyway.

Everyone's just wasting their time here.

Let's just get this over with,if Francis showers and change into pyjamas quickly maybe he has an hour or so left to sleep.

"I wish.... I felt rested and that breakfast was ready." Francis said somewhat smugly,too confident that it wouldn't work.

"Your wish is my command,Master Francis." the purple clad genie giggled sweetly,a snap of her fingers and a table was set in the middle of the resting car seemingly out of thin air with a large,varied breakfast that indeed resembled Arnoldo's own usual extravagant,elaborate meals.

Francis ran to touch it,just to see if it was real,suddenly realizing how revitalized he felt,the talented apprentice ran his fingers through a sliced pineapple,it was there, it was real,he felt like running the entire monorail and back,huge gap-toothed smile taking over the boy's handsome features.

"It's real!!!! You're real!!!! You're legit!!!" Francis cried out in excitement,embracing the girl tight and jumping with her in his arms,kissing her hair amidst his evident enthusiasm.

It is ludicrous that it worked,if Francis ever doubted that Magic is real.....

"So I am...." the genie chuckled awkwardly.

"I can save Arnoldo!!!" 

"Uh... I told you,I don't bring-" 

"I know.... But you can take me back in time,right?" the enthusiastic waiter asked tentatively,finally stopping his jumping,still not feeling tired at all,Genie Harmony's hesitant sigh and step back gave the overworked waiter second thoughts.

It was too good to be true,we're back to zero.

Having hope never really helped Francis anyway.

"You said nothing about not being able to do that!!!" the boy exclaimed,getting a hold of a cereal bowl with strawberry yogurt,Arnoldo's favorite.

Francis wasn't a big fan of strawberry,he learned to love it.

It smelled _and_  tasted like his favorite Chef in the world.

"I _can_ do that,you only need to be aware that anything you do in the past highly affects the future,also I really do not recommend encountering yourself and things like that." the genie girl trailed off. Francis hummed in aknowledgement,already on his second spoonful of cereal.

"Don't worry,it _is_ my intention to change the future,also where I want to go I wasn't even born yet.....for a long time actually." the young waiter sat by the couch,the helpful genie sat right beside him,fetching a french toast that already had pb&j poured in.

"So....what do you have in mind?" she asked before biting in,she is obviously not really a human,'she' was born many millenia ago,can replicate many forms,doesn't really need food or sleep but it feels nice to do those things.

"Palermo,Italy,mid 70's,Arnoldo was ten years old or less,he probably looked adorable...." Francis pondered out loud,chuckling to himself,eagerly eating another spoonful of cereal.

"Excuse me,Master Francis,may I ask a question?" Genie Harmony kindly interrupted,cutting two slices of raspberry cake.

"Of course." Francis answered,eyeing a delicious chocolate pudding the sassy waiter was sure would not be here if this was really done by his boss.

"Why change someone else's past instead of yours? You could even go back and choose not to work for him or not meet him altogether,something tells me this man does not treat you well." the genie concluded,Francis did seem to ponder this over,over a mouthful of the heavenly chocolate pudding,accepting the slice of cake right afterwards.

He _really_ could just erase Arnoldo out of his life entirely and very much start over,since Francis met the Grand Chef when he was still very young,the curly-haired boy exhaled slowly,setting the plate with pudding aside and munching on the delicious cake.

"Harmony....something tells me it's not completely his fault the way he acts,sometimes one event in your life changes you forever,who says my life would be different for the better if I never met Arnoldo? What _I_ am absolutely sure of it's that his and his family's lives would have been absolutely changed for the better,if one certain man had never traumatized his children." Francis reasoned,soft face sharp and determined,the beautiful genie nodded in understanding,she rested a slim,graceful hand on the hardworking waiter's broad shoulder,other hand reaching for his own and interlacing them,making the boy abandon the cake altogether.

Francis sat back,a bit startled at the sight of Genie Harmony morphing slowly into the form of Arnoldo dressed as a Genie,looking exactly like the man himself did hours ago,at least physical features wise,the process was easy for the genie,simply magic,illusions and mirages.

It was still scary as hell to witness though.

"H-how?..." Francis trembled along with his shaky,surprised voice,Genie Arnoldo grinned smugly,big,dark brown eyes shining in the natural lights by the windows,round familiar features somehow looking more relaxed than the efficient waiter had ever seen them,he casually draped an arm around the boy's thick shoulders,rocking him lightly.

"I told you,Master Francis,I can take many forms.I should also let you know that during all my years as a genie,you are one of the most selfless and caring people I have ever met.You realize I'm talking about millenia here,right?" Genie Arnoldo told Francis in an uncharacteristic gentle,soft tone to his voice,amused chuckle echoing in the waiter's ears,nothing like the malicious,usually condescending chortles of his own real Chef.

Francis' face flushed at the very much true statement,yet this did not look right coming from the older man's voice,Arnoldo should be looking at him like he was hopelesss at ever doing anything right.

Not like he...has the answers to all the problems in the world.

Like he mattered,like he meant something.

This could be their reality if everything goes right.

Francis found himself jumping into the Genie's arms,olive eyes tearing up,broad arms snaking around Genie Arnoldo's neck.

Genie Arnoldo's eyes widened,perhaps that was not the best form to turn into right now,what was he even thinking? 

It was only the most frequent figure in the boy's life,apparently,it had made sense to turn into the grand chef.

In _theory_.

"I'm gonna fix you,Arnoldo!!!! I'm gonna fix this,I'm gonna fix us...You're going to be so proud of me,señor!!!" the charming waiter sobbed on the genie's shoulder,his soft,lean body shaking with the effort,the eternal being simply found himself so much as patting the boy's back awkwardly.

So many years granting people wishes and the ethereal being still had a hard time simply comforting a person in clear distress.

"I suppose you're not so selfless now,huh?" Genie Arnoldo quipped,running a tentative yet soothing large hand along the waiter's thick curls,they felt so nice,they were addictive.

The large hands felt familiar yet his touch didn't feel as rough as if Arnoldo himself was doing it,Francis realized with strange surprise that he was actually longing for it.

Francis actually likes to have his hair pulled,his shoulders,breasts or hips squeezed until the pain is nearly unbearable,then the waiter just begs the brunet chef to grip them harder.

To hurt him,to mark him.

Maybe Francis has gone insane to the point of no return,he refuses to say the same about Arnoldo though.

"Huh?" the overworked waiter managed in between soft sobs,looking up.

"Nothing,nothing,you should eat at least one more slice of that delicious raspberry cake then we'll get you ready for your trip.You sure you're gonna be okay?" Francis nodded weakly,Genie Arnoldo pulled the boy back slightly to face him,running both hands soothingly over the curly-haired boy's round,pale,tear-stained cheeks.

The Genie locked gazes with Francis under the bright moonlight,he could tell just by looking at his gorgeous face that this boy is wonderful,has so much talent and potential beyond his years,most of which he hasn't even found out or explored.

Yet he still seeks the praise,approval and affection of a vile,insignificant little man who's already too busy with his own inner demons to properly appreciate the treasure right in front of his face.

To care for and cherish.

"Francis,I should also let you know I am so proud of you,proud of _my_ Francis,proud of _my_ waiter and assistant, _my_ partner.You are going to do great things,you did plenty already.You don't really need me to accomplish them ..." the genie felt the sudden urge to say,he wasn't really sure why,still he could see the aim of his words.

Apparently,it didn't seem to quite work,the talented,curly-haired boy only jumped into the genie's arms again and cried harder.

"Yes,I do,Arnoldo!!! I'm going to get you back,we're going to be a perfect team,you just wait..." Francis managed to say in between hiccups and sobs,pulling back from the embrace to desperately kiss Genie Arnoldo right on the lips,clutching tightly to the collar of the detailed light blue costume,teary eyes closed shut.

The genie yelped in surprise and utter shock,well,things like this _had_  happened before during his lifetime,yet it was never right,no matter how nice it felt most times.

Right now,it was simply a rather forceful,desperate press of cold lips,Genie Arnoldo's hands went to push slowly,tentatively the young apprentice away by his broad shoulders,the raven-haired boy whined in protest,then his eyes opened wide in realization.

"Arnoldo,why didn't you- Oh my gosh!!!!! Oh no,I'm so sorry!!! I am so so sorry,I-" Francis jumped from the couch altogether,pacing in sheer panic around the room. 

The Genie stood holding on to Francis' arms firmly to keep him in place,searching eye contact that the waiter refused to meet,posture more hunched than the usual,soft chin over his own vest covered chest,he felt so deeply ashamed,his neck disappeared.

"I'm really really sorry,it's just... _he_ was dressed just like that earlier today and....he looked really good and....it was just too easy to just see him-" Francis rambled on,kneeling down slowly,Genie Arnoldo following his gesture.

"Hey,no no no,it's okay... It's on me! I probably went too far,let me change into someone else,wait." the genie let go of Francis,changing into a much taller,thinner form,red hair,sparkling blue eyes warm and cold at the same time,striking toothy grin,the usually tired waiter gave out a small smile at that,fixing his towel mostly on reflex this time.

"That any better? I dig these giant legs and I'm suddenly craving popcorn for some reason..." Genie Carlos stretched out his long,lean arms,he felt hungry and was surprised with the dolphin noises that came out when he laughed.

Also that weird,sudden,intense adoration and dependency he felt for the waiter a moment ago was mostly lessened.

Mostly.

"Carlos... yeah,that will do." the kind waiter breathed out,sitting more comfortably on the red carpeted floor,Genie Carlos kept grinning in a way that just looks a bit creepy on the tall drummer's face,handing Francis a green apple from the table,sudden urge to care for the sassy waiter has not given out,the curly-haired boy accepted with slight hesitation.

"Francis,next time ...just make sure not to kiss the genie,okay?" the purple clad eternal being said good-naturedly,patting the waiter's crossed legs playfully,Francis only blushed harder and hunched in on himself some more,nervously squeezing the apple he had yet to bite.

This day was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Francis, Francis, Francis.... what are you doing.


	5. The Ice Cream Van

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment you go, wait, Rolando canonically has ADHD like his brother turns out,Arnoldo,Natalio and Lila are autistic and by this point you just throw the towel and say "You know what? All of them are"

"Hmmmm,I wonder what he looks like! This place doesn't happen to have a Control Cabin or something,right?" 'Natalio' whispered on Francis' ear,jumping excitedly and pulling at his suspenders afterwards with a huge grin on his thin,long face,startling the waiter into a near heart attack.

"Natalio!!! How did you get-....It's just _you_ ,isn't it?" the curly-haired assistant started,very surprised and excited but his voice dropped very dejectedly once it dawned on him.

"Come oooon,I'm a good surprise too,I'm moral support,also what's up with people from this monorail and touching? I feel glued to your arm and like I really should fix that swingset over there before any of these kids get hurt." Genie Natalio draped a long,lean arm over the much shorter boy's thick shoulders,finishing fixing the boy's mustache and pointing around the space surrounding them,Francis laughed good-naturedly despite himself,shaking his head.

The Genie dropped his chin over Francis' brown fedora covered head,scanning the area,with this height and great vision he could spot Kid Arnoldo easily,the boy was just leaving the cafeteria and coming outside with an ice cream van toy in hands.

Downsides to taking this handyman's form are he keeps forgetting things too easily,this hair is kinda heavy and....he just wants to see the monorail's Captain so badly for some reason,even if he cannot remember the man's name to save his life.

The Genie very much didn't have to change his clothes too much to match the time period,all he's wearing that's different is the dark brown coat over the flannel shirt,slacks and suspenders the tall,handsome luthier already usually wears.

"You could have turned into him,you know? It'll make things easier..." Francis mumbled,gently moving out of Genie Natalio's strong hold to keep looking for the tiny,adorable version of his boss.

"And what's the fun in that?" The Genie with tall brown hair and mustache quipped,he just felt like playing around with the magnifying glass he had hanging off his tool belt for some reason.

Francis gave a small smile while ducking away from Genie Natalio's thorough inspection of him.Apparently,there was a lot the skillful waiter had overlooked when he first had this idea.The Genie told him he really shouldn't meet Child Arnoldo as his current self,he should get some clothes to disguise into,should wish to know how to speak Italian,there's also the fact Francis has never once seen a picture of his Boss as a child.

Not even when Nunciatina came to visit or when the both of them went to visit the Grand Chef's family,which is a feat in on itself.

Francis shrugged and started on his search,how hard could it be? He knows that man and his unforgettable features better than he knows himself,he didn't really need the Genie to show him.

But it would have been a huge help.

The young waiter looked around the large,sunny patio of a school he just found himself in along with the Genie who was distractedly playing with a few kids right now,saying that if he fixed that seesaw,they would have so much more fun.

Thus leaving the teen with olive eyes to fend for himself.

"Great help you are." Francis grunted to himself,looking around.

There were quite a number of trees around the area,short, recently mowed grass,antique-looking playground with swingsets,seesaws,monkeybars,wooden slide,the waiter himself hasn't seen stuff like this in a long time.A seemingly impossible number of children running about.

The talented assistant is pretty sure he already lost his Genie among them,what if he transformed into one of them? 

"Francis,you were supposed to find one person but already managed to lose the one you had..." the teen huffed quietly in exasperation. 

The large crowd of children is something the overworked waiter is a bit more used to,even if he actually didn't interact much with the kids they entertain in his own time period,it's a shame,really,Francis actually loves kids.

He'd like to adopt one or a few someday,maybe have one of his own? The skilled boy covered his ears suddenly due to the loud noise from the kids,he's starting to briefly rethink this.

Yeah,no,he'd still want at least one.

With Arnoldo? Someone else he trusts as much? Someone new he hasn't met yet? 

The charming assistant rather wait to see what will come of this before even considering getting into this train of thought again.

 The talented apprentice wants to travel the world doing what he loves the most,aside from his work as a waiter yet he also would like to settle down,get married,start his own family.

 "Why don't you feel like you can do both,Francis? Why do you have to choose?" 

 

Francis muttered to himself,glancing down one more time at his current state,he thought he looked.... very silly,actually.Wearing a brown fedora,fake mustache,black,thick framed glasses,dark orange vest over a white,tight button down dress shirt,ugly brown slacks like Natalio's and small black boots,where did he even think he was going? Francis adjusted the bit too large hat one more time so he could see more clearly and started scanning the crowded space,if the Genie brought them here,the kid version of his Grand Chef should be here too.

Or maybe that Genie was just Risitas playing a prank on him the entire time,guy's specialty IS impersonating people to flawless extents after all.

Also,that would mean he actually kissed....Risitas.

What does one even make of that? Francis shivered involuntarily despite the strong Italian morning sun.

Risitas might as well had sent the attentive waiter anywhere in time,the talented boy walked around the place,hands in his pockets,narrowed brown-green eyes,it was still weird to him,how everyone was speaking Italian yet he still could understand every single word when before,he knew only a handful.

"Give that back,you're gonna ruin it!!!! My dad gave it to me!!!" Francis heard a child's voice cry out in desperation from the furthest corner of the patio.

"Look at this,baby blue and pink van,your daddy thinks you're a girl,he keeps giving you girly toys..." an older sounding voice sneered with pure malice,laughing along with his friends while keeping....

A baby blue and pink ice cream van toy exactly like the one Arnoldo brought to their Exposicion de Juguetes and gave him as a gift later that same day.

There was no mistaking it,the short,overweight boy with very light brown,shaggy hair,jumping with effort as high as he could,close to tears,struggling to get the precious item back,only to get forcibly pushed back by one of the older kids yet his stubborn,determined nature did not allow the boy to back down.

His Arnoldo.

"I was right,he's adorable..." Francis cooed quietly,fiddling with the buttons of his vest,the boy was indeed very adorable and very much in trouble too,the skilled waiter felt like he needed to do something to intervene, even if he knew the outcome of this has to have been positive,since the van still lasted to his own time.

"Believe me,Arnoldo,you gotta learn how to be a boy,you're already a fatass and aside from that,you're a girl? You won't survive..." the older boy tsked,abruptly throwing the toy to the ground,the van breaking into pieces,Francis gasped from his spot,running to them,Arnoldo's round little 10-year-old face was quickly becoming red and murderous,pudgy little fists ready to attack.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!! AND IT'S FUTURE GRAND CHEF ARNOLDO TO YOU!!! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS!!!" the small,fierce boy was caught mid-jump however by a heavy breathing Francis,the waiter was breathless mostly from running,securing a restless,tiny ball of enraged future grand chef was not that big a deal.

Or at least Francis kept mentally repeating to himself.

He wasn't supposed to have done this,he was not supposed to change this exact event,he came for other purposes,much bigger ones at that.

If the boy keeps squirming and kicking the way he is now though,it would sure be a bit of a problem.

Yet....the Genie wouldn't have brought them here only to expect the talented waiter to see this and do nothing about it.

That's just not Francis.

"Let me go!!! Let me go!!! My dad's gonna kill me but I'll make sure they're dead first!!!!" Arnoldo moved more frantically against Francis' strong arms,the seemingly leader of the older boy's only snorted.

"As if fat girls could fight..." the boy turned around only to be faced with someone that seemed to Francis to be an authority figure,Arnoldo stopped fighting against the curly-haired waiter's hold,Francis carefully put him down and kneeled to his level,remaining close behind the distressed boy,hands by both the young brunet's shoulders.

Arnoldo was shaking terribly,agitated little hands fidgeting with his small bowtie,he just looked so scared and heartbroken,Francis rubbed his shoulders stiffly,the future cook flinched instinctively from the touch.

"What is happening here,Fabrizio?" the older woman with short black hair asked with a stern stare.

"N-nothing,ma'am,me and... my pal Arnoldo here were only trying to fix his van,that's all... Ain't that,right,buddy?" the older boy,Fabrizio tried to ruffle Arnoldo's long-ish hair,earning a growl and a threat of a merciless bite,Francis' hand grabbed to the boy's arm to keep him in place,little Arnoldo looked back at the kind waiter like _he_ was the one to personally offend him and break his toy,pulling himself away yet again.

Kid was feisty,that's for sure,the tall woman looked at the scene like she had seen it way too many times before,she had a tight,sympathetic smile on her lips.

"Oh,Arnoldo,not again,I'm afraid I'll have to call someone responsible for you,probably your mother again.... I'm sorry,who are you? Do you know him? I've never seen you around before... I'm Greta,and you are....?" the woman,Greta,greeted politely,just taking notice of Francis standing up and waving at her when she talked about a responsible figure.

It's instinctive,really.

She extended a hand and he reciprocated the gesture,smiling awkwardly,Fabrizio taking the opportunity to flee like the others had already done,Arnoldo looked unimpressed at the duo and went to the spot where the remains of his destroyed ice cream van were scattered around the grass. 

"Io sono Franci-... Francesco! Eso...ahem- I mean,I'm Francesco,distant cousin of Arnoldo's,was sent to pick him up at school but I ended up getting here too early apparently." Francis hopes the woman won't point out how much of an anxious,sweaty mess he's looking right now,smile so tight and restrained he might break a tooth.Greta only nodded,giving the strange young man in front of her a tired smile.

"Alright,Francesco,you are clearly new here and I should let you know that _that_ boy is a bit of a.... _problem_ ,always looks for trouble with other kids and keeps doodling in class instead of paying attention,honestly it's nice to see you here since his mother will only defend him and blame us-" her tone was weary and condescending,Francis had the sudden feeling autistic kids with anger issues that were provoked by others while minding their own business weren't really taken very seriously in mid-70's Italy just yet.

Francis is not sure if they are even now. 

"What's that about my mamma???" both Greta and Francis ended up with amused smiles on their faces at the boy shouting from the ground.

The bell rang loudly,signaling time to go back inside,the tall woman with short hair and big brown eyes joined hands with the talented teen she barely knew but already saw as a new hope to 'fix' Arnoldo instead of dealing with Nunciatina yet again and get nowhere.

"Just....take him home,see if he'll listen to you and please, _please_ don't let Doña Nunciatina know what I just said about her." Greta pleaded with ever weary,deep eyes,Francis chuckled involuntarily,itching to cover his mouth,doing so when she finally let go of him.

"Don't worry,Mrs.... Greta!!! I won't disappoint you!!!" Francis shouted in the distance,most kids were inside already,Arnoldo threw the disjointed pieces of the van around angrily or crushing them into his fists,intent on breaking the toy further.

Arnoldo feels devastated,the object gave the boy a weird but good,comforting feeling,he didn't really know what to call it or even understood it,he just needed to polish the thing,play with it and listen to the little tune it played,then suddenly everything was right with the world again.

it doesn't matter now though,it's all gone.

Rebecca watched from afar,Francis kneeling in front of her younger cousin,very much raised younger brother,helping him with the pieces,she obviously didn't know Francis,but her big brother Giuseppe had told her he knew the guy,the strange,mustached young man was a distant cousin of theirs,Francesco,who was in town to meet this side of the family.

Francesco looked cute,friendly and awkward,he also looked like a nerd instead of a threat,the preteen with long,curly,blonde hair shrugged,her brother's judgement had yet to fail them so she assumed the better and went to class.

What's a boy with a weird mustache and thick framed glasses gonna do? 

'Giuseppe' grinned from a corner,watching Rebecca leave Francis and Arnoldo alone to get acquainted,it was not hard for the genie to choose a Bertolazzi sibling to turn into,the blond,overweight boy with many dreams and far ahead plans was the most trustworthy of the three,it was only natural.

Even if he would grow up to resent his family and turn his back on Arnoldo when he needed most.

Genie Giuseppe wonders if what Francis is doing will affect that in any way.

Hopefully it does,this guy had some grand plans that were a shame to see go to waste.

"I don't know you,I never saw you before,how do you know who I am?" Little Arnoldo said flatly,looking up briefly at Francis,then back to throwing pieces around,only for the skilled waiter to go and fetch them from wherever they were thrown.

"Uh.... I heard the other kids calling your name....I...would you please stop throwing these? They are still salvageable,you know?" Francis tried to keep the increasing exasperation out of his voice every time the small version of his boss stubbornly threw another piece at the ground or crushed it,the boy with round cheeks and light brown hair had kept to himself the big ice cream piece that used to go at the top of the van,he gripped on to it like a lifeline,running his thumb,surprisingly softly over it's surface.

"No,it's not! It's gone!!! It's all gone!!! Why are you even trying to help me??? You're a stranger... Strangers don't help people they don't know.... specially me..." Arnoldo hiccuped,crossing his thick little arms over his blue polo shirt,tapping pudgy little fingers over one arm in anticipation,irresistible pouty little face,round cheeks puffed out,little feet kicking air,Francis knows the boy would be bawling his big doe eyes out if he wasn't in front of a....complete stranger.

It would be a long,long time before Francis would become the person this Arnoldo relies onto the most,to survive pretty much.

Right now,the waiter with many talents doesn't really know what's awaiting them,this one interference right here could literally change everything.

All Francis wanted to do was hug this boy so badly and say he would be okay,even if right now the waiter himself isn't really sure since he's messing up everything in some way or another.

"Arnoldo,you know my name,right?" Francis said,focused on gathering more pieces of the van together,so he wouldn't look like a weirdo wanting desperately to hold tight and never let go of a kid he's not supposed to know this well.

Or at all.

"I do...I heard it,I'm not deaf, _Frances_." the talented apprentice shivered at the deadpan remark and the pronunciation of his name,it simply felt like this Arnoldo knew somehow for a moment.

But that would be impossible,it would be a good 30 or so years before they even met,Francis wasn't even close to being born.

Well,it was also supposed to be impossible for the aspiring magician to go back in time to encounter the child version of his current boss and partner.

And yet,here he is.

"Well- S-see,you're even already calling me by nicknames,it means we're pals,right??" Francis managed a smile,too big and awkward,10-year-old Arnoldo did let a soft chuckle escape at that,a few tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes streaming down against his will.

"You're weird,but you have a cool mustache...are you really family? I'd like if you were,there's never enough people to play cook with me,I don't like to play by myself...mamma and papà are just so busy,my brother and my cousins are only interested at the eating part when cooking is actually the funnest- the most fun part!!!" Arnoldo huffed in protest,crossing his arms tighter,looking down,he was still sad and angry but clearly feeling a bit better simply by the fact he had someone to vent to.

Sometimes that's enough.

Francis gathered the last piece,the small chip responsible for making music come out of the toy and scooted over to the distressed brunet aspiring cook,as usual,running a stiff yet comforting hand over his tiny boss' shoulder,the boy didn't flinch away this time,actually leaning into it and sighing defeatedly.

It was just so strangely soothing,not the same way the music from his van is yet it still felt just as nice somehow.

"You know what,Arnoldo? I totally agree.They are really missing out." Francis grinned gap-toothed and bright,seeing it be reciprocrated by kid Arnoldo was the best thing in the world,the raven-haired boy took the liberty to clean the remaining tears from the future cook's red,round face.

Now he understood Nunciatina,he wanted to pinch those cheeks so badly.

"Finally someone who understands me!!!! You're my favorite cousin already,I hope you stick around!!!!" Arnoldo exclaimed excitedly,hugging Francis tight by his middle,the older boy hugged him back just as tight,ruffling the aspiring cook's hair,who giggled involuntarily,muffled against the curly-haired boy's vest,the waiter was so happy he was able to do this.

To meet this Arnoldo,to see him smile and laugh pure and genuine like this in his arms,there's still time to save him.

To see his Arnoldo to his full potential.

Yet Francis definitely can't stay.

"Me too,caro amico mío."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Vida Musical when Arnoldo calls Giuseppe,he doesn't recognize our sensitive chef which is funny but kinda sad.


	6. Francesco,Francesco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually really really hard to write down, it took a few complete rewrites for me to be even a little bit satisfied with it.  
> Not that much but still.

"Mamma!!! Cugino Francesco is here!!!" yelled Rebecca from the door,pushing a very nervous-looking Francis inside the mostly modest house.

The curly-haired aspiring magician tugged his stubborn vest down and fixed his glasses for the thousandth time in the past hour alone. 

What could he possibly be so nervous about? He knows Arnoldo's family well enough,he knows the Bertolazzi children,knows Nunciatina,Nonna,Enzo... 

He's just meeting them once again but much younger.

Francis looked around,it was a very nice place,but not too big and fancy,they lived comfortably yet it still felt homey and welcoming.

The amazing,somewhat familiar smell of homemade food coming from the direction the young waiter assumed to be their kitchen helped greatly,he really hasn't been on a place like this in a while.

Actually,the last time he did was this very same house,Francis soon realized....but some good 40 years into the future,that is.

Turns out,things hadn't changed _that_ much when it came to preserving the place,the hardworking waiter felt oddly at home.

Just like last time.

"Chi? I didn't know we had visitors!!! I would have made more food and fixed my hair a little!!!" a very young looking blonde woman came into view.

She was tall,short blonde hair,tanned skin and even by this young age she already sported stronger arms than Francis' own.She wore modest clothes,a green Chef hat and a dirty apron,the woman with big,kind dark brown eyes was in her mid-20's for certain and the similarities to Arnoldo's mom were uncanny.

But this couldn't be Nunciatina,could it? She looks ... so young.... granted she's only the mother to Arnoldo and Rocco who are 10 and 8,still she's definitely been raising her niece and nephew who are older than her boys for a while now.

Giuseppe and Rebecca are the oldest at 13 and 12 respectively,her deceased older sister's kids that she and her own mom ended up taking care of when Arnoldo's cousins' mom died.

Speaking of Nunciatina's mom,Francis wonders where Nonna might be.

"Ci dispiace,mamma!!! We saw him at School! He said he came here to meet us and stay for a few days...." Arnoldo told ... the woman who was definitely his mom,pushing a beyond anxious Francis forward to compliment Nunciatina who despite her clear weariness,still wore a warm,welcoming smile on her round,tanned cheeks.

They awkwardly shook hands,Francis' own smile was forced and a bit frightening,Nunciatina's dark eyes became narrowed,she was getting suspiscious and she had all the right to do so.

Francis is a complete stranger to this version of Nunciatina,who just told her kids he needed a place to stay for a few days,if anything he'll end up blacklisted before he can even find anything on Enzo,these people are not Topa,they are not as easily trusting as they might seem.

This Nunciatina has no idea of who he is but what Francis is seeing in front of him is a woman as fierce,smart,determined and loving as he's always known her.

"He kept Arnoldo from getting beaten up by Fabrizio today." said Giuseppe bluntly,Francis' eyes widened,the tall,blonde woman mirroring his expression.

"Hey!!!" huffed an indignant future Chef,pushing the older boy forward,who didn't move from his spot.Nunciatina looked very amused yet worried.

"I don't think he was going to get beaten up this time,Fabrizio is not Giuliano,he's weak and broke down Arnoldo's ice cream van like the coward that he is,mío fratellino was sure to win,he had enough fuel for it!!!" Rebecca said confidently with a smug expression,Arnoldo jumped excitedly,hugging her sideways tightly,closing his eyes and giggling when she playfully ruffled his bright brown hair.

The seemingly casual,affectionate interaction brought so much warmth to the skilled waiter's heart,it was unbelievable.

Enzo had formed this amazing,loving family and he turned out to be the one responsible for breaking it all down one by one.

Francis' regular timeline Nunciatina still cries every time she recalls her husband closing the Ristorantino despite her not wanting to.

Which is very likely where the man is right now,since there are no signs of him yet.

Enzo claimed to be too old to take care of a huge business like that and decided on retiring and 'enjoying the rest of his days'.

Nunciatina claimed she could do it,she is 15 years younger than Enzo and was definitely still as fierce and strong as the 25-year-old Chef and houseworker Francis is meeting just now.

Yet she was denied it.

This family will only benefit from this surprise visit,the charming,mustached waiter grinned to himself,little Arnoldo's voice bringing him out of his thoughts.

"You don't have to worry,mamma! Frances fixed it pretty quickly,he's really cool!" the enthusiastic boy reached inside his red and blue backpack to show his very worried mother the Ice cream van that looked nearly out of the box,without a single scratch on it.

The blonde cook was far more concerned about checking the boy all over for any injuries,there were none,this was very impressive,her entire posture looked instantly relieved and relaxed,Nunciatina stood up from crouching down and faced Francis,who was madly fixing the long sleeves of his shirt and taking off his hat to reveal thick,messy,black curls while she checked _him_ up and down.

"Francesco....right? Welcome home and thank you for helping mio bambino at school! I know many Francescos...but not one who looks _this_ thin and pale!!! Come on,sweetheart,I'll get you lunch,you look strong but you also look like you haven't had actual food in a month!!! I've got this delicious Caponata a la Nunciatina that you can't resist or say No to!!! It's gonna turn you back into the handsome,healthy boy I know you are in an instant!!!" the hardworking blonde Chef ultimately cheered,seeming to inspect every aspect of the talented assistant's face,pinching his cheeks,gently caressing his soft chin and trailing down to squeezing his broad shoulders firmly.

It did make the overworked waiter blush deeply from complete embarassment,Arnoldo himself  _IS_ very touchy but not in this gentle,overly caring way.

Or apparently,not anymore.

Francis started following Arnoldo's mom into the kitchen,alongside the children who basically ran past the two adults,he left his fedora and shoes by the door.

From the corner of his eye,the talented apprentice saw someone who looked exactly like Captain Topa,tsking and shaking his head,Francis looked horrified and whispered,shooing the inconvenient Genie with frantic hands,'Topa' only did as much as blow a raspberry at him.

"What was that?!" Nunciatina turned to the curly-haired waiter whose displayed a gap-toothed,nervous,forced smile.

Those seem to be stuck on his face every time she so much as look in his direction.

Last time was easier,for years the clever waiter had heard Arnoldo talk his mom's ears off about him,good and bad things alike,when she finally got to meet the charming apprentice after years and years of hearing about him,she already knew Francis better than the curly-haired waiter knows himself,probably.

"I...I said! It's n- not really necessary,ma'am,I don't want to bother you,Doña..." Francis trailed off,rushing the strong woman forward faster inside the rather large kitchen/dinner room,glaring dark olive eyes burning back into Genie Topa,who threw his hands in the air in surrender.

The raven-haired assistant stopped in front of a vacant wooden chair by the kitchen and looked down,deeply breathing in,gripping at the backpost for support while little Arnoldo and his siblings sat around the table,he followed their actions soon after,sitting in between Arnoldo and Rebecca,tugging down his vest yet again.

"Nunciatina,Io sono Nunciatina! And don't you speak nonsense!!! You're family!!! So you are going to sit and eat everything with us!!! Right now!!!" the strong woman warned,dark,stern expression leaving no room for further discussion,Francis dipped his head and smiled timidly while she started to serve the table full of hungry kids.

"Caponata!!!! I love Mamma's Caponata!!!" exclaimed Giuseppe,clicking his silverware impatiently.

"Me too,it's the best!!! Caponataaaaaa" Rocco started singing into a spoon.Francis had deemed the youngest of the Bertolazzi children to be the most quiet.

Apparently that is until he gets home.

Or the subject of food is on the table.

"Caponataaaa...." Rebecca and Rocco sang in unison with their spoons at hand,Rebecca nudged Arnoldo's shoulder,who didn't look _that_  interested,he shrugged,playing with the fork and spoon as if they were dolls.

It was all very sweet and amusing,they are all trouble,Francis could tell,these kids were 70's Rulos.

Ironically,Arnoldo seems to be their own Francis.

"Wait.... We can't eat lunch yet! Zio Enzo and Nonna aren't here yet!" Rebecca seemed to remember suddenly,a cute,disappointed expression adorning her round face,her siblings glared daggers at her,Nunciatina sighed deeply,running a hand over her face and sitting down to eat.

"Nonna and Enzo are still stuck on a business meeting at the Ristorantino,your Zio called to tell me less than an hour ago.He said not to wait for him for lunch,but it's certain he will be here for dinner,Mamma should come back home sooner.Don't worry though,Francesco,everything indicates you'll still meet both today!" The strong,tall Chef reassured Francis and the children tiredly with a sweet and patient tone,squeezing the skilled waiter's arm in the process.

She's just so much stronger than Arnoldo,how much more groceries Francis has to lift for his arms to handle her??? 

"What's for dessert???" the future grand chef asked,looking far more enthusiastic at this particular topic,tapping his silverware into the table,the waiter couldn't help but observe the future cook's and siblings behaviors with a curious eye.

"It's Pineapple pie a la Nunciatina,amore mío-"

"Sí!!!!!!"

"But you _have_ to finish lunch before even considering dessert! I tell you that every single day!" the blonde,fierce woman said while serving his plate,the boy pouted,crossing his arms over the table and also getting scolded for it,his siblings snickered from their seats,Francis rubbed a stiff hand over his future boss' shoulder in reassurance. 

Arnoldo sighed dramatically,grinning warmly up at Francis and starting on his lunch,he grew up to make desserts any time of the day,didn't matter if he had something in mind for dinner or lunch,it's just because he can,the prideful chef might as well be a baker.

And it does bring a huge smile to the overworked waiter's face,Francis started on his own meal.

Oh,Caponata....it's undeniably delicious yet it gave him so much trouble,simply because his own Arnoldo was completely unable to sleep that night due to another needlessly specific,horrific nightmare.

A nightmare about another subject Francis would fiind out later on.

Himself.

Still it's not like Francis slept that well that night either. 

Or does he any night ever.

It's the only free time he has to practice his magic,the talented assistant knows he can be really good at it.

He just could use some more time and support.....from a prideful,oddly handsome Chef in particular.

"So... Francesco,where are you from? I'm sorry but you really don't look like you're from around here...." Nunciatina intended on starting conversation in between the kid's somewhat quiet chatter.

Francis froze in place for a moment,he genuinely thought he could just enjoy the Caponata that reminded him so much of Arnoldo's but with a few distinct touches and spices to it without getting any further questions? 

"I....er...." the skillful apprentice ran his fingers over the buttons of his vest,keeping himself from biting his pale bottom lip,looking at the entrance to the kitchen only to spot Genie Topa once again,pointing furiously at the flower vase in front of the waiter,at the center of the large table,it suddenly clicked,he opened his mouth wide in realization,shooing the Genie yet again.

"I'm from.... Flo.... rence.... Florence! Yeah.... I mean...Firenze!!!" Francis exclaimed in a cold sweat,articulating with his spoon,pronunciating _Firenze_ in his usual 'Arnoldo fashion' that he was sure no one in the table would really get.

"Tourist Trap!" Giuseppe scoffed in between a mouthful of his meal,earning a death glare from his aunt.

"Peppe,I already told you not to eat with your mouth open,you shouldn't eat like a hooligan just because your Zio Enzo or your Nonna aren't here.Besides,we have a guest!" the fierce woman reprimanded the blond teenager coldly,making everyone else in the table go completely silent back to eating their beyond delicious dish without another sound.

"Firenze??? Oh Dios Mio,you've came from so far!!!! I can already imagine the long trip it was to get here!!! No wonder you are devouring all my food,you must be so hungry!!! I'll have to make even more Caponata!" 

"SIIIIIII!!!!!" all the kids minus Arnoldo exclaimed in unison,Francis' future boss only rolled his eyes,tapping his fingers on the table.

"What are you celebrating??? It's only for Francesco! All of you got homework and chores to do!" Nunciatina said sternly,tone opposite the sweet one she just used on Francis.Arnoldo smirked to himself,back to his food.

"What are you smiling about,Arnoldo? You also have homework and chores to do.These dishes won't wash on their own!" the brunet future chef groaned loudly and his siblings didn't really bother to hide their clear amusement _this_ time.

"Ma Mamma!!!" 

"I could help you if you want." Francis found himself saying almost involuntarily.

Was it just natural to subconciously want to help this Arnoldo too? 

"No,Francesco! You are a guest-" started Nunciatina.

"But I don't mind,besides if I'm going to stay a couple of days,I might as well do something around the house,right?" Francis reasoned with pleading olive eyes at the hardworking woman whose harsh expression softened slightly.

"Va bene,sei un buono ragazzo.More people should be like you,actually.You don't know how happy it makes me to have you here." Nunciatina smiled genuinely,bright yet tired.Just glad to have someone else responsible in the house.

"It's nothing,Doña Nunciatina,I'm the one who should be thanking you for letting me stay." Francis reached for the older woman's strong hand,squeezing it stiffly yet gently.

For the first time ever since he first stepped into this house today,Francis didn't feel nervous.

What was he worried about? He was at home,after all.

* * *

"No,Francesco!!! You're doing it all wrong!!! You're stirring too fast and ruining dessert!!!" Francis exhaled through his nose,trying hard not to roll his eyes.

This is very much his boss alright,but half the height and with a high-pitched voice to top it off.

Which means the sassy waiter has to gather even more patience than the usual.

He desperately glanced back at Nonna for any sort of help/advice,she only grinned knowingly from her spot at Arnoldo's bed,dark eyes and expert hands concentrated on knitting Francis an orange and red light sweater.

The sun had already set,Francis already helped Arnoldo with dishes and bake cinnamon cookies just before now,Rebecca had managed to steal the mustached waiter for nearly half an hour to show him her large make up and dolls collection.Giuseppe and Rocco called Francis to play soccer with them,which....the aspiring Magician wasn't that excited about,also Arnoldo was starting to get jealous and possessive,so here we are.

Nonna didn't take long to get home,she welcomed Francis like her own grandson already,the curly-haired assistant genuinely hopes he can take home all the sweaters and gifts she's already given him.

"I'm sorry,Arnoldo,is that better?" Francis' gaze focused back on the task at hand,trying to stir the bitter chocolate mixture a bit slower,dark olive eyes intent for approval from the boy with light brown hair and calculating,narrowed big,dark eyes.

"No....you gotta hold the bowl in between your arms,like this,there.You never worked in a real kitchen,did you? You still have so much to learn...." Arnoldo said slow and wistful,shaking his head.

Francis chose to ignore the ironic remark for the time being,giving a good look at their surroundings instead,holding the small,pink bowl that was meant to contain cake batter awkwardly in his big arms.Arnoldo and Rocco's entire room was mostly composed of kitchen appliances from toysets,with a small corner for Rocco's soccer gear.

Toy pink oven,toy pink cake mixer,toy pink tea cups with a tiny round table,pink and blue blender a scarily faithful,tiny replica of the one he gifted Arnoldo on the Chef's Birthday a few years ago.

The small red and blue fridge at the corner is real and full of beyond delicious desserts,Francis himself was already 'forced' to try so many he lost count.

The way Arnoldo,Doña Nunciatina and Nonna won't stop feeding him he might just go back to his own time period with a few,ten or more pounds to him.

The overworked waiter has the impression his Chef would actually enjoy that,Francis shook his head,attention back on _this_ Arnoldo.

The adorable,little,innocent one.

"Which is okay,you're not old so there's still a bunch of stuff you don't know,same about me,the only ones who don't need to learn anything anymore are people like dad and nonna,you know,'cause they're old and lived a lot...." Little Arnoldo's distracted rambling while he put small toy tea cups back into place was unsettling Francis a bit,he needed to say something.

And it wasn't about the tea cups being completely out of order either,the raven-haired waiter bit his tongue back on that one.

That one,Nonna will soon take care of.

Francis has to admit even his own Arnoldo is still not big on the technicalities of working in a kitchen.

He's about the 'Art' aspect of it,or so he keeps telling Francis.

And himself,for that matter.

"Arnoldo.... I'm really sorry to say this,but that is not true.We are always learning and improving from our mistakes,until the very last day of our lives." the efficient waiter reasoned,putting the bowl aside,Arnoldo seemed to stop his own task and ponder this over,even Nonna looked up intrigued.

Then his adorable,little round face was back to angry again.

"Francis,do you mean to tell  _me,Arnoldo,_ Future Grand Chef that my dad,Don Enzo AND Mia Nonna are liars?" Arnoldo marched closer to where an anxious as hell Francis was awkwardly standing by,pulling down the hem of his shirt,everything feels so small at this moment,he can barely breathe.

How does this little boy even manages to go from cute to intimidating in half a second,Francis gulped and searched for those apples he was supposed to slice for that pie Arnoldo wants to make after this.

"Frances,Frances,Frances... Look me in the face and tell _me_ what I think of  _you_  calling Mío Papà E Mia Nonna liars?" Arnoldo pointed at his exasperated little face and Francis almost snorted,he could barely control himself,this was too adorable,actually.

The curly-haired waiter did see the boy's mom doing it to him when he kept procrastinating finishing the dishes,Francis _had_  seen her do it to actual Adult Arnoldo when they visited Italy last year.

But it never failed to amuse the charming waiter nonetheless.

"Arnoldo,that is absolutely not necessary.I think this sweet boy might have a point,your Dad is the one who's the headstrong,stubborn bull." Nonna spoke from her spot,standing up and walking over to the scene,crossing her arms,Arnoldo's expression morphing slightly from angry to mostly confused and aprehensive,putting his finger down.

"But- But-" the stubborn boy started stammering,looking in between both older figures with seemingly lost,big doe eyes.

"I think....you like it because...your dad might not be right about everything and that's okay?" by the end of the sentence,Francis had a tight,restrained smile on his face,cowering away,Little Arnoldo's expression wasn't giving in just yet.

"No,he would _never_ lie to me,try again." Arnoldo pointed yet again at himself and Francis sighed wearily,pulling down at the rolled up sleeves of his red,thin button down shirt.

Nonna stared down at the overweight boy with kindness and patience to her dark eyes,her Arnoldo is definitely oblivious and impulsive yet he can be very clever,she doesn't mind waiting for him to learn things at his own time and pace.

The talented,aspiring magician sunk down to Arnoldo's level,hands reaching for the small boy's shoulders and gripping them gently,the brunet aspiring cook's round features were still deeply lost and confused,the tubby finger he had been pointing at himself going down,grasping at his other hand,rubbing his thumb over the back of the other hand absentmindedly,looking down,Francis reached out his own hand to lift the boy's head by his soft chin,grinning brightly.

It felt a bit odd,to be the one talking down to Arnoldo like this.

Still,Francis has no intentions of taking advantage of it.

That's not what he's here for.

"Arnoldo, _think_  about it,think about how rich and diverse the culinary culture is,think of the many,so....many,countless combinations you can do with food.You keep saying it's an Art,Art means infinite possibilities,means you'll want and should want to try new things and improve old ones everyday.You should improvise,Arnoldo,instead of only learning your dad's old recipes and leaving at that.You could be an even bigger,renowned Chef than him,have you ever thought of that? " Francis said excitedly,pure sincerity from the bottom of his own heart,seeing this kid's eyes shining bright over his words gave the hardworking assistant great motivation to keep going.

Little Arnoldo dipped his head,suddenly shy and uncertain,shiny eyes fixed on the small,tubby fingers fiddling against each other over his shirt covered stomach,a little too big,red chef hat falling over the boy's face,it made Francis stiffle a chuckle.

"Do you really think that? Think I could do that? Be even bigger and better than Papà?" Arnoldo mumbled uncharacteristically timid.Francis lifted his future boss' head by his smooth,soft chin yet again,the brunet boy had a small,hopeful smile on his lips.

It's all Francis needed to see,he has to make sure Arnoldo will grow up to become a man this little boy full of hopes,dreams and doubts right here will be very proud of.Nonna also crouched to their level,beyond satisfied with Francis' words and what they were doing to her Arnoldo,she fixed her grandson's hat neatly and practiced.

"I do,Arnoldo.You have the potential to,I believe in you." Francis said easily,genuinely so,little Arnoldo jumped him holding him tight by his neck,Francis will probably need to breathe at some point but it's okay.

Right now,he couldn't be better.

At this very moment,the priority was make sure this one kid's dreams are valid,the skilled apprentice hopes that hugging the boy just as tight will transfer this message.Nonna joined the embrace,crushing them both.

* * *

This was a long and tiring day,but definitely still very positive all the way around,the entire family embraced Francis as one of them with open arms,weirdly enough,even Enzo.

The mysterious,quiet,secluded looking man with slick black hair and dark brown eyes,upon insistence of Nunciatina,Nonna and the children,allowed Francis to stay as long as he needed with the condition that he helps at the Restaurant.

The overworked waiter agreed promptly,he didn't expect any less.

Francis is allowed to stay as long as he needs to,he's just not sure if he has _this_ much time.

He came here with a purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really didn't want this to be a two-parter since I'm procrastination master but oh well.


	7. Super Rayo,Tiny Trees & Cinnamon Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It should go without saying but everyone from Arnoldo's family is overweight in some way,some more than others,no one escapes that delicious food and they are proud of it.  
> Stuff might get a little uncomfortable here,but I mean,it's me writing it, people should already be used to this.  
> Although I don't feel it's heavy enough to up the rating to Mature.  
> I would appreciate being told if it actually is,personally I feel I was very tame because the real focus here has always been Francis interacting with 10-years-old Arnoldo and his Family.

"Frances,I just don't see how any of this is going to be useful on my glorious career as a Grand Chef!!!" Arnoldo tried to reason,waving a cinnamon cookie around as he voiced his objection,only for it to get snatched from his hand by a triumphant Rocco.

Francis gave the younger Italian boy a disapproving look,Rocco groaned dramatically and handed back to Arnoldo the uneaten half of the cookie,the larger boy with brighter hair wasn't too thrilled about that but he still accepted the treat back anyway,as long as he could stall answering this near impossible math question just a little bit longer.

The charming waiter with dark,curly hair was trying to help the siblings with their....fairly simple math homework,Rocco intended on finishing his as soon as possible so he could play a little more with his Super Rayo doll before actual bedtime.

By now the 8-year-old brunet was already done with his own homework _and_  his share of Nunciatina's beyond delicious cinnamon cookies,all that were left were Arnoldo's.

Those were supposed to be their prize if they actually finished their task _and_  got the answers right,Francis was supposed to be in charge of checking that.

The thing is.... they weren't even halfway through with Arnoldo's homework,which was not only frustrating the aspiring chef himself but his younger brother too,since all the younger sibling wanted to do was go back to playing hero and villain with him.

Francis was still very amused by the fact Arnoldo was not bothered at all to play the Villain,they're always the coolest anyways,heroes are so boring.

Giuseppe had told him to never call Batman boring again,Arnoldo only replied saying he didn't know Batman wasn't supposed to be a Villain since he's Superman's biggest Nemesis and all.

That was certainly a heated family dinner.

At this moment here though,the overworked waiter is actually very glad for already knowing the aspiring Grand Chef as well as he does.

Francis knows that when it comes to Arnoldo,it's best to be patient instead of just lashing out,let him get to his conclusions on his own time.

The talented waiter refuses to see this boy's difficulties in learning and assimilating 5th grade level homework as...simply just another kid being lazy.

Francis just knows better than this,Arnoldo is extremely determined,smart and talented,he can learn things very quickly if he remains focused long enough.

Yet... he's also very _very_ stubborn,prideful and short-tempered.

Which......is the sole reason the raven-haired teen with dark olive eyes took many,many years to learn about his Boss' dyslexia and autism.

The large,Italian man used to be very embarassed of those aspects about himself until... Francis happened.

The raven-haired teen admits both traits  _can_ be obstacles to any child born with those conditions to get to their full potential yet Francis learned from his own Chef that none of that fully stops anyone's ability of actually getting to their goals.

In Arnoldo's case,Francis can argue it actually benefitted the brunet man in most aspects.

The aspiring magician took that lesson to heart and Arnoldo finally learned to accept himself as who he is,they both won in this,really.

Even if not letting his own autism and anxiety get in the way of doing his best,be it as a waiter,a good friend or anything else he aspires to be,is still a daily struggle and far easier said than done.

If Francis is very honest to himself,the signs about Arnoldo were there all along and the aspiring magician felt incredibly silly to not realize the both of them following similar patterns over the years.

They were always very different from each other yet the more time Francis spent around the proud Grand Chef,the more he realized they shared much more in common than they ever thought.

"It's going to,Arnoldo,trust me,you do have to know a little bit of math to cook,otherwise nothing will stop you from pouring too much sugar.... or too much salt on a dish,numbers will help you know the exact amount you'll need for everything...." Francis reasoned patiently,a genuine,gap-toothed grin playing on his thin lips.

This was indeed something that his own Arnoldo didn't really know to this day and simply just tells Francis to do for him.

The curly-haired teen is willing to take a little bit of the fault to himself about the fact nowadays Arnoldo just became too dependent on him.

Why do "too difficult" tasks when you already have a Francis?

"He's right,fratello mío...." Rocco said somewhat smugly,getting another cookie without even Francis seeing,Arnoldo will have to admit defeat soon and it's going to be fun.

"He didn't have to sound this boring about it,Dios mío,if I wasn't already half asleep..." the stubborn boy grumbled and huffed,leaning back against the wooden headboard,hugging the notebook and pencil to his chest.

Arnoldo's notebooks were 'littered' in what anyone who doesn't know the kid would call useless doodles that will give him no future.

Francis knows them as ilustrated recipes,they use them to this day and the skilled apprentice actually finds them to be very helpful aside from really cute too.

"Fine,I guess we actually did a lot of progress today and it's already getting late so..." Francis concluded,sighing wearily and setting his own book aside.

Today was a long day,the aspiring magician can't believe he actually thought he would have less work here than he did in his own time at the monorail.

He went back to meet Arnoldo and the Grand Chef's siblings, _as kids_ ,and thought that meant less work _how_??? 

"What???!!!! It's bedtime already???!!! But I didn't even finish playing with Super Rayo!!!" whined an indignant Rocco,trying to reach for Arnoldo's cookies but the older boy was smarter this time,keeping them out of his baby brother's reach.

"Arnoldo,give me those,you guys shouldn't even be eating in bed,if your mom catches us-" Francis snatched the nearly empty plate of cookies away,anxiously fixing his glasses,suddenly realizing he probably should be worried about this too.

"But I wasn't done with them!!! Besides,you're the cool cugino from out of town....we can stay as late as we want with you here!" exclaimed Arnoldo with newfound excitement,holding one hand with the other,looking up at Francis with expectant,big brown eyes.

Francis grinned quietly to himself,dipping his head,tugging down at his borrowed oversized pjs,it's a little funny to see _Arnoldo_  of all people excited to stay up late.

More or less the very same person who always tells the overworked waiter he should sleep more.

But actually gives him so much work it's outright impossible to get nowhere near close an ideal 8 hours of sleep.

"Si!!!" Rocco promptly agreed,clapping his chubby little hands in which Francis was forced to put down,then making a silencing motion with his finger.

The boys huffed,Arnoldo crossed his arms and tapped his fingers,Rocco sprawled himself dramatically over the small bed,the raven-haired older teen was mentally rolling his eyes on the back of his head.

"No! You two have school tomorrow and need to be up early,I'm really sorry.....and don't worry,Arnoldo,I'll ask your mom or Nonna to bake more cookies for all of us tomorrow,sounds like a deal?" Francis managed to show a polite,genuinely apologetic smile,tucking a reluctant,pouting Arnoldo under the blankets and kindly trying to shoo Rocco away to his own bed where Super Rayo awaited him over the pillow.

"SIIIIIIIII!!!!!" both Italian boys chanted in unison.

"Shhhh,you both need to go to sleep or no more cookies ever again!" Francis whispered in a somewhat stern tone,he hated to sound this harsh,especially towards kids,even worse, _these_  particular kids.

His family.

Despite how tired he was feeling,effect of that one wish wearing off long ago,Francis was actually having fun.

He played soccer with the kids on the street,he showed the tiny trees concept to Arnoldo and Rebecca who only made gagging noises,he also played 'Chef Hats' mushrooms with the aspiring cook and Nonna when Nunciatina wasn't looking.

The curly-haired waiter was too close to admitting he might be getting too attached to these kids and...this family already.

It's been only one day.

"Awwwwwww........." both boys whined simultaneously,by this point,pulling Francis closer to stay with them.

The teen with brown/green eyes fixed his sleeves,then ruffled each of the boys' hair stiffly yet with a large hint of affection,Rocco's was black like the waiter's own hair and Don Enzo's but very short,while Arnoldo's was bright enough to nearly be dirty blond rather than brown,it reached a little past his shoulders and had no curls at the ends yet,it was...endearing.

Francis doesn't get the protests of these boys,it's not like the aspiring magician was about to leave the room altogether,he was only going to head down to his borrowed spare mattress on the floor a few feet away from their beds.

"Ora buonanotte, _scuuuusami_ -" the skilled waiter bowed and started to stand up with slight reluctance,only to get his arm forcibly pulled down yet again by Arnoldo,Francis winced involuntarily.

He knew this Arnoldo had no _real_ malice to him,he just doesn't know his strength but the talented assistant can't help it.

"Hey! You don't have to go yet,you should sing something for us to sleep!" demanded the young,aspiring chef,it brought a pleasantly surprised expression to the waiter's charming features.

"That....would be nice,Mamma and Papa haven't done that for us in years,Nonna still does it sometimes- Ow!" Rocco was unable to finish his mumbled lament due to Arnoldo elbowing him.

"Can't you see that if you say that,Frances won't do it???" the older of the two gritted his teeth,absolutely sure only Rocco could hear him,Francis leaned his soft chin over his hand,fiddling a little with his mustache,waiting patiently to be addressed into the conversation again.

"Hai ragione!!!! Dispiace,Arnoldino....continuare,continuare." Rocco exclaimed,patting his older brother's shoulder,grinning toothily,the aspiring chef grinned back,enthusiastically turning back to Francis.

"Cantare! Cantare! Cantare!" the talented apprentice nearly fell back from the bed once the boys started shouting and clapping along.

"Okay!!!! Okay!!!! Just stop,please! I'll do it but I don't think I know any songs you guys do." Francis articulated wildly all over,trying to silence the siblings yet again.

They can get him to do anything they want like this,don't they? 

Just by being very loud yet adorable about it.

"That's fine,Frances,you already taught us plenty of stuff we didn't know." said Arnoldo matter-of-factly,leaning forward abruptly,making Rocco fall flat on his back from his previous position leaning sleepily against the older's shoulder.

Francis put a hand over his mouth to stiffle his snickers,the younger sibling cursed a few italian words he probably shouldn't know yet and Arnoldo shrugged,fully sitting back up again by now.

"Will you lay back,Arnoldo,please! You said you were already half asleep!" the skillful apprentice might be getting a little frustrated at this point.

Francis pinched the bridge of his nose and fixed his thick framed glasses,breathing in and out then slowly motioning Arnoldo to lay back down.

"That was during math homework!!!" the brunet,aspiring chef did so with protest.

"Just stay under the covers,Arnoldo,you'll get cold,same for you,Rocco." Francis' big grin was so forced and weary,instead of looking charming,it was frightening the boys a little.

 _Just_ a little.

"Alright,alright...... I thought having a new,older cousin was more fun than this." Rocco complained,snuggling back on his rightful place around Arnoldo's arm.

Francis was fascinated about how comfortable and carefree these kids feel around each other,he has never wanted to be part of a Family this badly.

Arnoldo's family is where he belongs.

Any version of it will do.

"So what song you guys want me to sing or want me to sing about?" Francis asked inbetween a yawn,rubbing sleepily at his tired eyes.

Absentmindedly taking off his glasses and neatly folding them by the bedside table that divided both beds.

Rocco let go of Arnoldo,offering the vacant,'free' space in the middle for their older 'cousin' to join in,Francis did so,sitting comfortably against the headboard,draping thick arms over each sibling,they promptly leaned against his sides,the raven-haired teen instinctively held both impossibly close to him.

"I don't know,Frances....Rocco _did_ have a weird nightmare yesterday and wouldn't let me sleep so I think a song could help with that." offered Arnoldo,mostly muffled against the young waiter's oversized blue pjs.

Francis still wasn't sure whose these actually belong to,but they are big and comfy,also have enough buttons to keep his hands busy.

Not that he really needed them right now,what with holding onto two Italian troublemaker kids like a lifeline and what not.

"Really,Rocco? What was it about?" Francis asked,genuinely interested,gently nudging the younger sibling to speak,Arnoldo didn't look too thrilled to have his Frances' attention stolen away.

He looks just as cute without glasses.

"I dreamt that Dad became a giant Godzilla-like monster who attacked me!!! He tried to eat me!!! It was scary,I swear!!!" Rocco looked up at Francis with pleading big doe eyes. 

While Arnoldo wanted someone who understood him,Rocco wanted someone who believed him.

"If you say so." the aspiring chef scoffed,seemingly unfazed by his younger brother's story.

"Arnoldo!!! Look,Rocco,I believe you when you say it was scary...." Francis' smile was back to sweet and charming,he patted the brunet boy's arm stiffly,Arnoldo grunted his disapproval but the overworked waiter continued anyway.

"But nightmares are just that,they are not real and can't get you in real life,you wake up and they're gone." Francis finished his explanation calmly,only to get a smug "Told ya" to the ears from Arnoldo.

The curly-haired teen winced yet let it go,he has to focus on the bigger picture.

Francis already knows he's straying far enough away from it as it is.

"You know,I _do_ have a song for that.... a song that my Cap- my _Dad_ used to sing to me anytime I started to think my nightmares could become real or affect me.It goes something like this...."

 **_Si quieres dormir y no lo puedes lograr_ **  
**_Si una pesadilla no te quieres soltar_ **  
**_Te quieres cubrir para no mirar_ **  
**_Relajate y no pierdas la calma_ **

Francis thought as wise to keep out the part where he still occasionally sings this to his own Arnoldo to help with the older man's own nightmares,until eventually the older,stubborn man told his loyal assistant to stop.

The aspiring magician is aware he's not the best singer in the world,he's the best waiter and he likes to think he's the best at many other things but not at singing.

Francis supposes that's the sole reason of his own time's Arnoldo to tell him to stop singing to him.This current one and his baby brother curled against the talented apprentice? They don't seem to mind one bit.

 _**Son solo sueños** _  
_**Son solo sueños** _  
_**Que parecen ser realidad** _  
_**Son solo sueños** _  
_**Son solo sueños** _  
_**No te asustes,no son de verdad** _

"I wasn't the one who got scared! I never get scared! It was him!" protested a suddenly agitated aspiring chef,pointing at his brother.

"Io so,Arnoldo." sighed Francis,stiffly squeezing his shoulder.

"Zitto,Arnoldo.I want to hear him sing more,he sings really well." said Rocco,certainly boosting Francis' confidence greatly at the moment.

 _**Voy a regalarte un Atrapasueños** _  
_**Así tus pesadillas se irán** _  
_**Que tengan sueños dulces de nuevo** _  
_**Cuando te acuestes a descansar** _

"You know he's going to pester you nonstop until you make him a Dreamcatcher,right?" advised Arnoldo.

"I wouldn't expect less,I did also have the best person to teach me how to make that." the skilled waiter said proudly,with a certain tall,forgetful luthier in mind.

"Let me guess,your Dad?" questioned Rocco.

Arnoldo's hand reached up and for a moment the raven-haired waiter thought the boy was going to mess with his mustache,the proud,Italian boy thankfully settled for gripping the buttons of Francis' pjs instead.

Francis allowed himself to think a little about this question,by the end of it,it's just easier to say:

"......yeah." the overworked teen with curly hair simply replied,small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Do you miss him?" asked Rocco,who would have thought sleep was a distant dream here too? 

"I haven't been away from home that long yet,it's not nearly enough time to-" Francis' reasonable explanation was interrupted by the door to their bedroom being slowly and cautiously opened by someone.

"Dad!" exclaimed both boys,not really letting go of their 'older cousin' just yet.

Enzo had taken his time opening the door,trying to not make a sound,looking far from pleased by seeing his boys cuddled up with Francis.

"He came to kiss us buonanotte!!!" Rocco jumped excitedly from the waiter's hold,going to his own bed at last.

Arnoldo let go of Francis too,reluctantly so.

"No,boys,it's okay,seems like you're already well taken care of...." the large man with dark,slicked hair trailed off,sarcastic,slightly angered,restrained tone clearly meant for Francis,who found himself awkwardly standing up from Arnoldo's bed,fixing his hair and pjs.

"Dad,where are you going?" asked a very confused Rocco,already tucked under his own covers,Super Rayo by his side.

"Come back!" demanded an equally bewildered Arnoldo,grasping at his blankets.

"Mr. Bertolazzi-" started Francis,anxiously reaching for the towel on his arm that wasn't there.

"You should stay and listen to the pretty cool lullaby Frances was singing to us! Sing it,Frances!" commanded the young aspiring cook,Enzo just did not look in the mood to hear any singing,he was burning the skilled waiter alive with his dark eyes.

"It's not necessary,boys,it's already very late anyway,buonanotte." with that,the man waved and very much fled out of the room.

The old,experienced Chef's somewhat awkward,quick exit left Francis dumbfounded and confused to no end as he watched Arnoldo and Rocco dejectedly turn back each on their own beds.

The loyal apprentice dipped his head and fixed his sleeve one more time,he hopes for the life of his own Grand Chef he won't regret his next request too much.

"Why don't we kiss each other goodnight then,since today your Dad was in such a hurry? Would that make you guys feel better?" Francis stammered,trembling on his spot in the middle of their room.

"I don't know...." said Rocco despondently against his pillow.

"I'll lay on my bed,see? And you will do like he would have done if he had stayed." Francis did as he just said it,laying down unsurely on his mattress,fumbling with his blankets.

"Okay,I'll start!" Arnoldo jumped from his bed,going in the direction of the thin mattress Francis was currently laid down on,the young,aspiring chef kneeled beside the current mustached waiter.

Arnoldo somewhat clumsily and aprehensively leaned closer and closer to Francis' face,the curly-haired teen closed his eyes tightly shut,heart beating Impossibly fast,waiting for whatever was to come.

And very likely regretting every single decision he ever made in his life up until now.

"I....suppose you're family now,you own that right." Arnoldo told the extremely nervous waiter,he could feel the boy leaning half his heavy body over him,Francis shuddered involuntarily.

"What right? To kiss you? He's going to leave this family by morning that way,Arnoldino,I'm telling you." Rocco laughed from his spot on the bed,Arnoldo paid his younger brother no mind and lightly pecked Francis' right cheek.

Both the waiter's pale cheeks heated instantly even if it seemed to simply be an innocent little kiss.

Thank heavens,Francis was worried for nothing after all,phew.

Then Arnoldo more eagerly kissed the aspiring magician's left cheek,his small yet hefty body very much hovering over the raven-haired teen's,short,thick legs getting in between the older's thinner ones,the boy's elbows propped on each side of the waiter's head.

And Francis wanted to combust out of existence.

No no no no no..... 

The talented apprentice felt tubby fingers awkwardly curling themselves around his hair,even with his eyes closed he could feel Arnoldo's round,adorable little face mere inches away from his own-

"Arnoldo!!! I've changed my mind,go to sleep." Francis' sudden,desperate shout made the young brunet loose his balance and fall over the beyond nervous apprentice's body,the skilled assistant instinctively clutched to the younger's shoulders,swearing to himself he was trying to keep a safe distance.

"But-" Arnoldo insisted,feeling as awkward as Francis trapped under him,the curly-haired teen stiffly pushed the young,aspiring chef away.

The whole situation worked wonders bringing Francis back from whatever cloud he was in.

He wasn't here to make friends or join a new family.

He was here to save these kids from a despicable man.

"Just go,Arnoldo,please or we'll have to go back to your math homework." Francis threatened,knowing this would do the trick.

"Oh,Dios Mío,non." sure enough,Arnoldo stood up quickly,running to his bed,swiftly getting under the covers,pretending to fall fast asleep.

Rocco could be heard snorting from his bed,Francis shook his head,moving around on his mattress,trying to get in any position that felt comfortable in the slightest.

He whispered,curling in around himself,giving one last glance up at the kids' beds,letting a few stubborn tears fall.

"I'm so sorry,Arnoldo."

* * *

"Papa!!!!!! Arnoldo lost my Super Rayo!!!! I am never borrowing anything to him _ever_ again!!!" Rocco came in yelling through the kitchen where Enzo was reading the paper while drinking coffee.

In the middle of the afternoom.

"I didn't lose him!!!! I swear I left him right there on the couch while I was making him a portrait!!! I left for a second because I had forgotten my yellow pencils... I came back and now he's gone!" Arnoldo shouted,running right after his younger brother,trying to explain himself.

He didn't really look guilty,only very worried,intrigued and as exasperated as his brother.

"You're a liar!!! You were jealous of me because Dad got me Super Rayo while all he got for you was a stupid little ice cream van!" it should go without saying you could see the fumes coming out of the older brunet's ears.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK-" 

"Ragazzi!!! No fighting,it's not gonna help either of you find the doll any faster,hm? We should focus that energy on searching for it instead.Arnoldo,mío Piccolo Capocuoco... you go upstairs to the attic,maybe you forgot the toy there when you showed the place to Francesco last night." said Enzo in an even tone,gripping tightly to Arnoldo's arms and lingering there,dark,ominous gaze searching for eye contact the boy had a hard time reciprocating.

"But I didn't-" the aspiring chef started but was 'gently' pushed in the direction of the stairs.

"Vai bambino!!!! Don't talk back to me!" 

"Sí,signore." Arnoldo bowed his head and did as he was told,he knows for a fact it's not there,but his Dad's looks were deadly when Nunciatina or Nonna are not around.

And if Arnoldo dies he won't ever realize his biggest dream of becoming a Grand Chef.

So maybe,the doll IS really up there and he forgot after all,perhaps he took it with him to help look for the pencils.

Genie Doris observed the scene hidden by the doors to the basement with curious,narrowed,intrigued pale green eyes,Arnoldo was actually not lying,she can guarantee the doll wasn't up there.

The kid is a big troublemaker but he rarely lies,he might just be too honest at times actually.

Genie Doris quickly realized she sympathizes a lot with that.

The drawn portrait still sitted by the couch looked beautiful,even if it missed the Hero's most prominent color,it pleased the Genie to know the young aspiring cook definitely has more than one talent.

Nunciatina was at the Ristorantino showing Francis the place and helping him at his first day working there,the ethereal being had followed them to the place as Natalio,turns out the tall man is very perceptive and catches on to things pretty quickly,so turning into the forgetful luthier really comes in handy most times.

Nonna had stayed 'watching' the kids,she was deep asleep on her rocking chair in the backyard,cook book nearly slipping out of her hands while Arnoldo and Rocco caused havoc inside,Giuseppe was at soccer practice,Rebecca at a friend's house.

Genie Natalio found very suspiscious when Don Enzo very much sneaked out of his own Restaurant while his wife and supposed nephew were distracted in the kitchen so he decided on following the old Chef who.... 

Headed back to his own home.

And was actually the one who took the super hero toy away once Arnoldo left,hiding it by the highest cabinet at the kitchen and smirking to himself.

This could be a potential new lead,the magic genie never doubted Francis,even if his story from last night had no 'proof' to go along with it.

By the end of it,t was just a simple deduction,if Arnoldo tried to kiss him,that only meant it's what Enzo does every night.

Except last night he wasn't counting with Francis sleeping at the Bertolazzi siblings' room.

The aspiring magician had insisted he could sleep on the couch just fine but Nonna very last minute found him pyjamas,a mattress and pushed him towards the boys' bedroom to help them with homework before Rebecca succesfully chopped Arnoldo's head off.

"Rocco,you go look around the living room then back here in the kitchen,I'll check the basement.Affare?" 

"Sí,Papà" 

The Genie quickly teleported from the basement to the backyard where Nonna snored away,she could see Enzo discreetly taking Super Rayo off the top cabinet and putting inside his coat,rapidly running to the basement,Genie Doris teleported back,hiding herself behind an old,dusted closet,a polaroid camera magically appearing on her hands.

Expression fierce and fearless,it's very _very_ convenient to be inhabiting the body of a girl who can fight flawless martial arts in heels.

Something tells her,she'll need to put those habilities to use.

She wishes she didn't really have to.

 "Rocco,bambino mío!! I think I see him but I could use your help,eh?" the older man with slick black hair surged back by the doors not long after going in,whispering to the brunet boy with dark eyes who was meticulously inspecting under the dinner table.

"You found him!!! Sweet!!!! I knew Arnoldo was lying,he does it all the time." Rocco enthusiastically jumped from his spot under the table,two inches from nearly hitting his head on it.

"Yeah,yeah,come on,before he comes back down." Enzo whispered again with a hint of impatience to his tone.

"Perché?" adorably confused and somewhat suspiscious expression taking over the young boy's features.

"Perché.... don't you think it's funny that your big brother is still looking all over the house for something that we already found? We're one step ahead of him!" the older man reasoned.

This boy is harder to fool than Enzo originally thought,Genie Doris smirked proudly.

"Si......" the brunet,Italian boy answered with large uncertainty to his tone.

The Genie was only here for a day and a half and she was already able to pick up how much despite the teasing and sibling banter,Rocco actually looked up to Arnoldo more than his other 'siblings'.

Even if he could finish homework much faster than the future cook,Arnoldo took longer but he was the one who always got the most answers right.

It's not fair,honestly.

It must be because he's older and has more privileges.

"It only means we're smarter than him,also this could be his punishment for now,non é bello?" Enzo pulled his son closer,'reassuringly' rubbing the boy's arms up and down.

The boy is not really as soft and plump as Arnoldo but he will have to do for now since he just so happens to be a little bit more gullible.

 _And_ less prone to start yelling his lungs out,waking up his grandma and all.

He knows the woman has a gun that not even he could find where it's hidden yet.

"I suppose...." Rocco still didn't really get it,what kind of weak 'punishment' is this?? Didn't his dad hear Arnoldo lost _Super Rayo_??? 

This is serious business!!!! 

"Great,now let's go,there's no wasting time." the experienced Chef smirked,ruffling Roccos's short hair,rushing the young boy inside,locking the door after him,without his youngest son noticing.

Genie Doris' flawlessly manicured fingers trembled angrily around her camera,she definitely did not look happy.

The eternal being certainly has seen much worse but she has taken a liking to these children nearly as much as Francis did.

Deep down,the Genie had started to wish the charming waiter wasn't right and his Chef was an awful,awful person just because.

But that's never how things really work,is it? 

"If you want it,you have to do this one favor for me." Enzo said slowly,pointing at the hero doll safely tucked on a space by the far wall,the older man clearly could reach it but Rocco was far from it,the boy frowned.

"Ma,papa....he's right there,you could just hand him to me and-" he pointed at the hero right there on his dad's reach,looking puzzled and slightly irritated,Genie Doris smiled sadly at the irony.

Super Rayo couldn't really save him from this one.

"Non,amore mío,you have to earn him from me,if I were you,I would blame it on Arnoldo for being so reckless and irresponsible for losing something that's clearly so precious to you." Enzo reasoned,motioning the boy to come even closer to him,running his thumb over one of Rocco's round,tanned cheeks.

The young brunet boy started to have plenty of self-doubts in his mind as Enzo pushed him to his knees and guided one of his son's hands towards his clothed erection.

All of this suddenly didn't seem right.

The raven-haired Chef made the kid squeeze his dick through his expensive slacks,involuntarily closing his eyes,biting his bottom lip,giving out a low grunt from the back of his throat.

Rocco looked up at his dad with big doe eyes,bemused as ever,small,pudgy hand shaking around the man's clothed member,he doesn't really understand what Arnoldo has to do with any of this.

He's actually still up there looking for the doll for him after all,he's trying to redeem himself.

Enzo suddenly gripped the boy's head by his short,dark hair,startling him out of his thoughts,making the young boy whine and start to tear up.

Genie Doris gasped from her spot,nearly letting the camera fall to the ground as she started to take pictures.

"Shut up,don't make a sound or it's only going to be worse...now open your mouth...." 

"Ma,papa...." Rocco cried out again,small mouth opening wide in the process and the Chef took the opportunity to pull the boy's head forward by his hair,shoving his son's tear-stained face against his crotch,the man's groan was louder this time yet still clearly restrained.

Rocco tried to use his arms to pull away to no avail,it only made him lose his breath faster.Genie Doris had another idea,these pictures alone won't do it.

Can't do it.

Time has told the Genie over and over again that Jail is never enough for people like this man.

She teleported back to the backyard for a moment,where Nonna still peacefully snored away,it's not hard for the Genie to quickly learn her History.

And the fearless woman she used to be and deep down,still is.

Because once you fought in a war,you can face anything.

"Good boy,remember,anything that happens here,anything I'm being painfully forced to do to you,it's all Arnoldo's fault."

Rocco's protests were muffled against the older man's pants,his struggles getting weakened due to his current severe lack of air.

Enzo smiled triumphantly,beyond aroused by the whole situation,having his youngest son at his mercy,the thrilling danger of the possibility of still getting caught since Arnoldo and his mother-in-law are still home.

Today was going to be fun,the raven-haired Chef started to use his free hand to unbuckle his own belt-

When the door to the basement was violently kicked to the ground,causing a loud crash to echo through the entire house.

Through all the dust and smoke,surged an impossibly infuriated Nonna pointing a large rifle in the exact direction of Enzo's head.

She could have shot on the spot,if she really wanted to,Genie Doris knows for a fact that's what she would have done.

"STEP.THE.FUCK.AWAY.FROM.MY.BOY." Nonna said on an eerily,low,seemingly calm voice.

The man's face showed visible distress,he gulped,starting to sweat and his grip on Rocco was twitching,weakening every second except the man refused to let go just yet.

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE,I AM GOING TO SHOOT ANYWAY,ALL I NEED IS FOR YOU TO LET GO OF MY BOY IMMEDIATELY SO HE CAN GET TO SAFETY." Nonna increased the tone of her voice slightly,taking two steps closer,it's a demand.

"Then I suppose you'll have to kill us both then-" the older woman had no patience for this,she gave a warning shot few inches to the right from Enzo's head,opposite to the place where the doll remained,the Chef immediately let go of the child who might as well have ran faster than lightning away from the room before even considering catching his breath.

Instinctively running upstairs to look for Arnoldo who had been playing with old,small firemen cars he thought to have lost years ago.

Up until the future cook heard sudden gunshots that sounded far louder and impossibly more painful to his ears than the average person.

Once Rocco was out of the room,Nonna kept firing,far from considering thinking twice.

There is not a single death under her belt that she regrets,she is not about to start now.

She started by shooting at his legs,leaving his head for last.

Both Nonna and Genie Doris grinned with great satisfaction,the eternal being discreetly teleported upstairs to check on the boys.

It wouldn't be fun to kill the man instantly without letting him agonize first.

Nonna might have not known but the magic genie had the opportunity to see the lasting damage the Chef had done to this family,Genie Doris gave one last glance at the scene behind her,a strong,fierce,blonde woman blowing her rifle gun while towering over an irredeemable man covered in blood on the wooden floor.

This was one of the best days of the Genie's life,Francis made the right decision after all.

* * *

"Come on,big bro,move! I'm scared too,but you're creeping me out here!!!" Rocco shouted in raw desperation,he had a big urge to just enter his room and hide under the bed until it was all done and over with.

Yet he decided to run past it,up to the attic,only to find Arnoldo paralyzed,laying on his back,staring up at the ceiling with unblinking,blank,dark brown eyes,surrounded by a large amount of miniature car toys covered in dust.

"Talk.to.me!!! Per favore,you love talking everyone's ears off,now's a perfect time..." Rocco pleaded,shaking Arnoldo's shoulders frantically as the Genie,now 'disguised' as Rebecca,surged by the entrance.

The boy already have the large impression he lost one very significant family member today,he's not about to let another go without a fight.

"Hey,fratellino,be careful!" warned Genie Rebecca running to the two boys,kneeling beside Rocco,gently pulling him closer to her,the young boy holding tight to her middle out of instinct.

"Is he dead,Beccina??? But he wasn't even close to that gun..." pondered Rocco,looking up at 'his cousin' with deeply concerned dark eyes.

She smiled fondly down at him,reaching out a hand to 'fix' the aspiring chef's light brown hair,running her hand over his round face afterwards to reassure the younger sibling that Arnoldo was indeed still alive,just shocked,probably.

"He's alive and I know he's going to be okay,same for you too." Genie Rebecca kissed the top of the brunet boy's head as Arnoldo quietly stirred in place.

Francis and Nunciatina should be back soon.

Their Mission here is over.

"I don't know,I'm still scared." mumbled Rocco as Genie Rebecca let go of him for a moment to help a very drowsy,disoriented future Chef sit up.

"I assure you,fratellinos,we have each other,we have nothing to be afraid of anymore." the Genie said as she held both of them to her,squeezing their arms in a soothing manner,the young siblings clinging desperately to her.

"If you say so,I believe you." muttered Arnoldo,still trying to understand what really just happened.

They stayed like this for a little while longer until the Genie heard footsteps getting closer to the trio,she recognized the slow,dragging steps up the stairs as Nonna's.

"Arnoldo?" whispered Rocco rather sheepishly.

"Si?...." whispered back the aspiring chef,fidgeting with his hands,gaining back some sense of his surroundings.

"I'm sorry...for accusing you of lying and....for insulting your ice cream van.I think it's pretty cool,actually." the younger sibling apologized,sounding more sincere than ever.

"I know you do."

Nonna smiled from her spot at the top of the stairs to the attic at the sweet display ahead of her.

Rebecca,Rocco and Arnoldo curled protectively around each other while the aspiring chef started talking excitedly about the tiny cars he thought were long lost.

Nothing satisfies the older woman more than knowing her kids are finally safe.

* * *

"You know,Arnoldo .... I have two older brothers,they are really into soccer too,I don't really understand it either." said Francis to a very bored and impatient Arnoldo sitting beside him,very much peeling off the blue and white foam finger he was given by Giuseppe what feels like ages ago by now.

"You don't understand or you're a complete disaster on the field too like our Arnoldino,huh,Frances?" joked Rebecca,poking at Arnoldo's sides with her own foam finger.

The younger boy squirmed away,leaning heavily against Francis,who snickered into his own hand,then fixed them both in place when they almost fell from their places by the bleachers,Rebecca only laughed harder.

She couldn't care less about soccer either but there were some really cute players on both teams today,the blonde,aspiring fashionista swears Ramon L'uragano,the defender for their home team just winked at her,she's Irresistibly cute after all.

"You _really_ think that's funny,you tell that to everyone!" Arnoldo huffed in exasperation,more like hitting her back with his own foam finger instead of just poking.

"Stop,Arnoldino!!! You're going to ruin my favorite jersey!!! I still intend for it to get autographed by Ramon L'uragano!!!" it was Rebecca's turn to scoot away and protect herself from the aspiring cook's merciless hits.

It's not easy to admit your 10-year-old dumb cousin might be stronger than you.

So she won't.

"What do you even see in this guy??? He's ugly as sin!" Arnoldo shouted,throwing the mostly ruined foam finger into the air,making most of the people surrounding the trio stare down at them.

They were lucky to be family to one of the best players of their team.

Even if Giuseppe Bertolazzi is no Ramon L'uragano.

Francis hunched in on himself,nervously pulling down at his own jersey,Arnoldo and Rebecca didn't look bothered in the slightest.

Arnoldo didn't realize some of the crowd shifting their attention on him,he just hated that all those girls kept swooning over that skinny,ugly dude just because he has blue eyes.

Doesn't really help that the guy is _Giuliano_ 's older brother and he's not even the best player anyway,that one would be Vincenzo Temporales,if Arnoldo were to ask an autograph from anyone,it would certainly be him.

Aside from best player,he has those cute freckles,curly hair and-

"Blasphemy!!! You take that back!!! How would you even know if he's ugly or cute?! You're not a girl so you _can't_ know!" the absolute seriousness and confidence on the girl's tone of voice amused Francis greatly.

She would only admit to herself in her 40s that she might be bisexual and may have had some affairs with girls 'back' in the 80s when she was still young and 'experimenting'.

She would go on to spend years and years before coming out insisting to Arnoldo that you couldn't find a lifelong partner on someone that's not a gender 'opposite' yours,it just didn't make 'sense'.

She used to say that that was the reason he had never found a wife.

To this day,Francis' own Arnoldo didn't have a wife and probably never would.

Still didn't mean Rebecca was right.

It only meant Arnoldo couldn't keep anyone long enough to want to marry him.

Francis knows the man for 10 years,technically dates him for 7 or so of these years.

And even he still has his own doubts about it,no matter if he daydreams of it more often than not.

"Can too! I just need to have eyes!!!" Arnoldo replied smugly and she rolled her dark brown eyes,mostly amused smile tugging at the corners of her bright neon pink lips.

"But let's be honest,fratellino,that day was hilarious,I can't believe you haven't told Francesco yet,you got covered in mud and Giacomo threw a bucket of water over your head trying to 'help you',Frances should have been there to see it,did that ever happen to you?" the aspiring fashionista finally decided to kindly include Francis into the conversation.

If only to infuriate her little,hot-headed cousin some more.

"Not.... that I remember...." the talented waiter said awkwardly,patting stiffly the shoulder of a very much embarassed or fuming aspiring chef.

His round cheeks might be red from both.

"I think you would remember if something like that ever happened to you." laughed Rebecca,patting Arnoldo's thigh sympathetically,the boy instantly flinching away.

Frances didn't really need to know any of this,the only cousin who really understands him.

The one he could have started over with.

"Then I suppose it never did." was Francis' conclusion,he doesn't have the best history playing soccer with his brothers either. 

But he supposes it would be a little bit difficult to explain to Arnoldo and Rebecca his struggles with playing soccer as a girl in an all boys team in the early 2000's.

They can live just fine without that.

"So Congratulations! Even _you're_ a better soccer player than Arnoldo...." Rebecca clapped loudly,reaching for Francis' hands to shake them,the skilled teen with curly hair wasn't sure exactly what to do so he only reciprocated the gesture.

Arnoldo was quick to forcefully push them both apart from each other,Francis fell over like a sack of potatoes,Rebecca did so much more gracefully.

She huffed and sat back on the bench,fixing her long curls and clothes,Arnoldo just doesn't know how to take a joke.

Francis sat stiffly back on his side of the bench also,fixing the cap on his head that had the home team's name on it,both he and Arnoldo had the number 9,Vincenzo Temporales while Rebecca and pretty much the rest had the number 10,Ramon L'uragano or 11,Giuseppe Bertolazzi.

Yes,Giuseppe is feeling very betrayed playing in the field right now.

At least,Nunciatina and Rocco up front are dressed in his jersey.

The stubborn aspiring chef had very much turned his foam finger to tiny pieces at this point.

"I still should tell you to not be too proud and let it get to your head,it's not that big a deal,once,while we were playing in the street,Arnoldo actually threw the ball on Giuliano's head,knocking him unconscious with it,boy refused to play on the same team as Arnoldo from then on,Giuliano was a jerk anyway and deserved it but since _he_ was the better player..." Rebecca trailed off,hugging her little brunet cousin closer in a playful manner.

Her intention was to comfort Arnoldo,it didn't seem to work much,even if the aspiring chef didn't pull away,Francis joined the hug from his side,pouting adorably,the future cook grinned despite himself,involuntarily pulling his older cousins closer.

He didn't want to be in the same team as Giuliano anyway.

"Are you guys done making fun of me??? See,mamma's leaving her seat,she's going to come up here and...hopefully, _finally_.......take us home..." Arnoldo sighed wistfully,resting his soft,double chin against his fist in contemplation while both Rebecca and Francis leaned their heads on each of his shoulders.

That was a really cute sight for Nunciatina to witness from her spot going up the stairs in her kids' direction.

The crowd was full yet spotting her children was like tunnel vision.

"That is if she doesn't decide to stay for the Celebration Party and-" Rebecca started on a playful tone,sitting straight back up on the bench,Francis reluctantly distanced himself also.

"There is no Party,there is only home." Arnoldo proclaimed in a deathly serious tone.

Francis hunched a little further ahead and snickered to himself some more,his expression suddenly apprehensive once he spotted Genie Lila in the crowd also wearing the team's uniform to blend in,most likely pretending to be a parent.

She looked impatient,Francis has been here for 4 days,two after the Enzo incident that technically finished their Mission.

Nonna is alive,well and at home cooking dinner,no one is about to mess with the woman who used to be the Head of their Mafia for someone as insignificant to them as Enzo was.

Back to the game,Francis is not to keen on admitting to himself that ..... he doesn't really want to leave.

He's fitting in perfectly,he's working part-time at the family's restaurant as a waiter,the remaining time he plays with the kids or help them with homework and chores.

Arnoldo and Nonna might be hogging Francis to themselves juuust a little,showering him in new clothes and endless amounts of desserts,the skilled apprentice has never had this much attention to himself,he was being very spoiled,he did gain some considerable weight this past week,the aspiring magician involuntarily squeezed a small,fat roll on his side that wasn't there some days ago.

Francis likes this,he loves it here.

He's starting to believe again this is where he was always supposed to be.

"Let's go home,bambinos!!! I can't stay for the Party but Peppe is staying,Frances,I'll drop you off at the Ristorantino,Arnoldo,Rocco and Rebecca,come with me.Nonna is cooking dinner today." Francis was brought back from his thoughts by the loud instructions of Nunciatina through the celebrating crowd.

If the raven-haired teen is honest to himself,he didn't even notice the game was over.

* * *

"Frances,would you look already,my _art_ has to be appreciated the moment it's done! Nothing is more important than looking at this right now-" started to exclaim a very antsy Arnoldo,impatiently poking at the aspiring Magician's broad shoulder.

"I'm looking,Arnoldo,I'm looking!" Francis couldn't help but stiffle a small chuckle as he found himself nearly gluing his eyes to the neatly formed line of broccoli on a tray.

"So.... what do you think of my Tiny Trees Forest?" Francis took his focus away from the tiny trees to look ahead at a very much proud of himself Arnoldo,whose stared up at the overworked waiter with expectant big eyes and a toothy grin.

"It looks amazing,Arnoldo,Congratulations,I'm sure they taste delicious too." the curly-haired teen fixed his thick-framed glasses and his hat in place.

This Arnoldo wasn't simply bragging about something he had done,his eyes expected for Francis' approval and that warmed the skilled apprentice's heart to no end.

"Eh,I wouldn't go _that_ far..." Arnoldo said unsurely,looking to the wall,putting the tray back on the table,Francis grinned cheekily.

His own Arnoldo is not a big fan of broccoli but he'll eat it,if there's,like,no dessert to be made or whatever.

Francis wasn't really done with his own piece of art just yet but he stopped everything to kneel in front of the aspiring chef,guiding the boy's round,little face to look at him,it makes the young brunet a little nervous still,but not really downright uncomfortable,the raven-haired assistant closed both his hands around the boy's thicker yet smaller ones in what he hoped to be reassurance.

It _did_ seem to calm Arnoldo,even if just a little.

"Arnoldo,you are going to be a Grand Chef,that's literally going to be a great part of your job.To turn into delicious art,food that you don't think taste that good.See it as a challenge,you know?" Francis told the boy whose despite everything,he still hoped would grow up to be his boss and partner.

"A Challenge? I accept it.I am going to make people love broccoli all over the world,they are going to beg for me to cook it personally for them!" the aspiring chef let go of Francis' hands,jumping excitedly on his spot,the talented assistant cheered along,smiling bright.

"That's the spirit! Now what do you think of my School for Tiny Chefs?" Francis took in the opportunity to display to Arnoldo his....admitedlly not finished line of mushrooms on a tray,the future Chef's expression became cold and calculating in a matter of seconds.

The narrowed eyes,crossed arms and tapping fingers,it all still freaks Francis out just a little.

"Eh..... needs work,Frances,the chef hats aren't really aligned correctly,let me fix that for you,one day you'll learn..." Arnoldo snatched the tray off the skilled waiter's hands and started fixing the whole thing himself with surprisingly practiced ease.

"I know." the curly-haired assistant curled in on himself a little,pulling at his sleeve,the small grin adorning his soft features was warm and happy.

Francis was astonished to realize...that he felt _happy_.

".....Frances?" Arnoldo said quietly,handing the 'tiny chef hats' tray back to the charming waiter,completely fixed and flawless.

"Sí,Arnoldo?" Francis said,finding the sudden,uncharacteristic quietness strange.

"I'm sorry for trying to kiss you that night,I really didn't know it wasn't right and now I feel stupid-" Arnoldo started rambling anxiously,looking down,shaking his head vigorously and flailing his arms.

Immediately worrying Francis,who kneeled down yet again,putting his ever stiff hands on each of the boy's shoulders,squeezing them as gently as he could manage while trying his best to keep the aspiring cook in place.

"Arnoldo! Arnoldo.... Arr noll doo... I don't fault you,I can forgive you if it's going to make you feel better but I know it wasn't really your fault,okay? I know everything." Francis told the boy as he dried away a few of the aspiring chef's tears with his thumb.

"So... you're not mad at me?" those big,teary eyes were breaking Francis' heart again,Arnoldo clutched to the curly-haired apprentice's arms tightly.

"Why would I be,Arnoldo? You just apologized,didn't you?" the skilled waiter said matter-of-factly,the pressure on his arms was painfully uncomfortable.

But he dealt with much worse in his lifetime.

"Si...." Arnoldo answered,still rather dejectedly,not meeting Francis' eyes.

Francis knows that would be the minimal expected by Arnoldo if the situation was opposite,eye contact.

But Francis also knows better than demand it from him.

"And you recognized it wasn't right,you only thought it was because your Dad made it seem like it?" Francis questioned,Arnoldo gripped the aspiring magician's sleeves much tighter at the mention of Enzo,Francis winced involuntarily yet tried not to let it show.

Francis can't blame the boy,he himself still feels like the old Chef can appear back any moment.

"Sí...I still can't believe he tried to hurt Roccino." Arnoldo lamented,letting go of his older cousin's arms altogether,Francis instantly missed the contact,pulling the boy into a tight embrace.

Arnoldo gasped,he was a little startled at first but hugged back just as tight the teen with pretty brown/green eyes he grew so fond of these past days.

Francis? the charming,overworked waiter simply felt like he waited so long for this.

"Me neither,Arnoldo,but now you and him are safe....and...I have no reason to be here anymore." the enthusiasm started to fade from Francis' voice,turning to nearly incomprehensible mumbling as tears started to prickle at the corners of his own bright eyes.

He finally realized he should be long gone by now.

"What was that? Frances,are you okay?" the young,brunet boy obviously looked very confused and concerned,distancing himself a little from the raven-haired teen to try and look at him.

"Nothing,Arnoldo,it's nothing...don't worry,I just realized I'm late and should be packing my things to go back home,scuuusami..." Francis said quickly,awkwardly cleaning away his tears with the back of his hand and standing up in a rush.

"Already??? I still have so much to show you!" Arnoldo grasped stubbornly at Francis' arm.

"I know,Arnoldo,I'm really sorry,maybe another time." Francis reluctantly let go of the prideful boy's strong hold,remembering something once he got to the door leading outside the kitchen,turning back to a crestfallen little Chef.

"And Arnoldo?" 

"What is it, Frances?" Arnoldo muttered,clearly very upset already,gripping at the table and eyeing the 'tiny tree' forest ahead of him,ready to burn it down with his intense gaze alone.

Francis rolled his eyes in a more affectionate manner than he'd like to admit,he loves this kid so much,it's killing the skilled apprentice inside to have to leave him.

The aspiring magician stood behind Arnoldo,both hands stiffly back on the hot-tempered boy's shoulders,hunching a little more than usual to speak close to the younger's ear.

"I'd watch Giuliano closely if I were you,he could try to steal your recipes..." Francis grinned smugly,he can't believe he almost forgot about this.

He's so glad it's not too late.

"What- what recipes? Why would he do that?" Arnoldo raised one thick,little eyebrow at the efficient waiter behind him,more curious than anything.

Francis offered a proud,bright,charming gap-toothed smile at the future chef that may have made the brunet boy's body shudder all over.

"Because that's what people do when we are better than them and they get jealous." Francis stated simply,willing himself to let go of who he hoped to still be his boss and partner in the future.

He doesn't want a life without Arnoldo when he can find ways to improve the one he already lives with the man in it.

It only took a little bit of magic... 

And strong,fearless people in your family.

Feel lucky if you have those.

"Oh... okay... Grazie,Frances.....for everything.I'm.... really going to miss you." Arnoldo very much clung to Francis' soft middle,holding the talented waiter firmly to himself.

"You're welcome,señ- Arnoldo....I'm going to miss you too,buddy." the curly-haired teen had no choice but reciprocate the gesture,perhaps taking slight advantage of the fact he can ruffle this Arnoldo's hair any time he wants.

It was too good to last.

"I'm going to miss you more."

* * *

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yes,Rocco....I'm sorry but I stayed too long already,my family is going to start worrying..." Francis insisted by the front door,carrying two suitcases and a backpack.

Since the waiter had literally brought nothing with him,these were full of gifts.

"Call them" suggested Giuseppe,helping Francis carry a suitcase outside.

"It's too expensive." Francis reasoned,hands stiff in front of his body,signaling for the blond teen to be careful.

"Send them a telegram!" exclaimed Rebecca,surging by the front door.

"It will take too long to get to them... I'm really sorry but I gotta go,I really did enjoy meeting you guys.You were all amazing." Francis lamented as Giuseppe,Rocco and Rebecca took turns hugging their favorite cousin goodbye.

"Take it,it's a gift!" Arnoldo ran breathlessly past the door,pushing everyone and everything out of his way.

His cousins looked obviously very annoyed,Arnoldo _was_ the one Cugino Francesco spent the most time with,it wasn't fair.

"But it's your Vincenzo Temporales shirt,your favorite!" Francis instantly tried to refuse it,the stubborn boy had been so protective of his jersey all week.

It didn't make sense to give it to someone he knew for only 4 days.

"Yeah,but Beccina made Giuliano's brother autograph it! Blergh! If you don't take it,I will burn it." Francis doesn't remember even his own Arnoldo sounding this betrayed and disgusted,the aspiring magician laughed unintentionally at that.

"You wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Rebecca,reaching angrily for the shirt.

The two cousins started bickering,Francis intended on trying to stop them until Nonna approached him,switching his attention to her.

"Nipote mío,you should also take these with you,you can't refuse them,you know you will get hungry on your way back to Firenze." the older woman gave Francis 3 take out containers,pinching the overworked teen's cheeks then kissing them with great affection,making the raven-haired teen turn bright red,absentmindedly fixing his glasses.

The containers carried what Francis immediately recognized as the family's delicious cinnamon cookies that probably could be smelled miles from here.

"Grazie,Nonna,you're very kind." Francis said politely,putting them inside the backpack.

"Promise you'll visit us again?" Nunciatina said,appearing beside Nonna,instantly reaching to grasp at Francis' arm.

"Or we could go meet your side of the family! We could meet your cool Dad!" said Rocco,the sibling that was able to succesfully set Arnoldo and Rebecca apart,taking the shirt away from them,finally.

Only for Arnoldo to yank it back from him mere seconds later.

"I don't know.... I don't think I can promise you any of that...besides I'm already late-"Francis started to stammer an excuse,it was not easy with a whole family of strong-headed Italians surrounding him from all sides.

"Look at my face and promise me you'll visit again." demanded Nunciatina,pointing at her face in old,'Arnoldo' fashion.

It was rather comicial but Francis was cornered.

He can't break any of their hearts.

Hopefully,he won't have to.

"I....promise." Francis concluded,turning around,intending to meet the Genie a couple blocks away.

"Ciao,everyone,scuuuusami...." the talented assistant bowed and waved as best as he could with the luggage he was holding,the others tried to help him with it many times.

Francis refused everytime.

"Frances,you're forgetting the jersey,here! Take it! Wear it so you won't forget again! See,what you did,Rebecca! He almost forgot because of you-" Arnoldo exclaimed,handing the Vincenzo shirt to Francis who carefully let go of everything to wear it while the aspiring chef went back to reprimand his blonde,aspiring fashionista cousin.

"Because of me???!!! You are trying my patience today,you-" the girl did not look happy,Francis raised both arms in an attempt to calm the siblings' nerves.

"Guys,that's okay.I just put it on,it's fine,look." the shirt had looked slightly oversized on Arnoldo earlier today but was actually extremely tight and short on a very soft,by now round and stout Francis.

The skilled assistant tugged down at the hem of his shirt out of habit,it wasn't quite covering his soft middle,he may have gotten a little bit embarassed by the fact he just let himself eat the amount he did during this trip.

There was just something about not just being allowed to eat whatever you want,whenever you wanted but also being offered that food almost constantly,even at the Restaurant,Nunciatina told him he was allowed to eat.

This was a magic place indeed.

"You look gorgeous,amore mío,have a safe trip back home,nipote!" declared Nonna,hugging and kissing the curly-haired teen all over again.

"I will!" Francis said,muffled against her shoulder,feeling a little suffocated once everyone joined the hug.

"Noi ti amiamo molto!" cried out Nunciatina,clinging to him for dear life alongside the others.

Francis allowed his tears to fall freely down his pale,round cheeks too,this is an experience he won't ever forget.

"I love you guys too...."

* * *

"I don't get why you're looking at them like you're never gonna see them again,they're _your_ family,remember?" laughed Genie Rolando,moving from his casual pose by the wall,fixing his Grease-styled gelled hair once a heartbroken Francis approached him,covered in gifts,warm kisses.

And unforgettable memories.

"I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up leaving "part 2" behind and rewriting the whole thing from scratch, only taking a few points and elements from the old draft.  
> I am determined to finish at least this one story,it's not like it was meant to be a huge fic in the first place or anything.  
> Genie Rolando was going to play a bigger part but this ended up so goddam long already,he is out.  
> Also, if a rapist doesn't get killed along the way,is it really a story of mine? I mean,not even Arnoldo escaped this fate and you see me kissing his shoes everyday.


	8. Are You Happy Now? Part 1 - Everybody's Changing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first ever draft for this was done way back in early September,the abstract idea of it?  
> Since May when I first posted like,the first 5 chapters of this story,foollishly intending to finish everything 'at once'.  
> Thinking back maybe it was best to leave this to the test of time because a lot and I mean A LOT changed since then,my mindset about things most specifically.  
> This would have a wildly different ending if it was done back in May and I would dread coming back to this story badly now.  
> Fortunately I procrastinate too much.  
> Song is "Everybody's Changing" by Keane,I once intended to use this song for my very first fic from a very different fandom but it ended up not happening.  
> Call it recycling,not my fault the song is a classic and it still fits here 😂  
> Also this feels more like a set up to an actual Chapter but it's 7k words already so here:

_ You say you wander your own land _  
_ But when I think about it _  
_ I don't see how you can _

A slight weight pressing insistently against his back was the first thing Francis felt once he opened his weary,sleepy eyes,a....naked back,it seems,there didn't appear to be any fabric shuffling against his own as the person moved lightly in their sleep.

The aspiring magician inhaled deeply,instinctively curling in on himself on the large,extremely comfortable.....bed he's 100% sure he has never been once before in his entire life.

Francis slowly glanced down at himself to realize he was still wearing the big jersey Arnoldo gifted him what felt like not that long ago,the curly-haired boy grinned rather dreamily to himself,pulling on it and running his fingers stiffly yet delicately through the soft fabric,it was kind of sweet to think of a little kid Arnoldo having him as his first crush ever,possibly.

Just like the prideful Chef himself was his.

From a silly childhood crush on his mentor,to an uncontrollable,neverending infatuation to....actual, _real_  love,with all it's ups and downs,with the pain,the constant efforts on his part,the raw pain,the sacrifices that had to be made along the way,some more pain and tears....

If Francis thought their relationship was anywhere near ideal,he wouldn't be here,traveling through time (or maybe even timelines,he's not really sure yet) to save it in the first place,now would he?

It's a love worth fighting for.

Still the young waiter was very pleased and somewhat surprised to realize he actually had kept all the extra weight he gained the past week.

A good reminder of the mindblowingly amazing time he had with Arnoldo's family, _his_  family,in which despite all the hardships,it's exactly where he belongs.

And always will.

There is absolutely no one else that could possibly be on this bed beside the talented teen aside from his Grand Chef,it's the whole point of this entire journey,isn't it? 

Except...Francis found a little odd that his stubborn Chef's very prominently large frame didn’t seem to be taking that much space on the already rather spacious bed.

Does that mean Arnoldo is somehow thinner now? The young magician is not really sure how he would be supposed to feel about that.

The assistant with dark,gelled curls has always known his boss to be extremely confident in his own body,he loves to boast about how handsome and attractive he is,the very _exact_ way he is and Francis _always_ agreed wholeheartedly.

The skilled apprentice is certain he knows his prideful,Italian Chef's round,soft,voluminous form far better than he even knows his own body,he's guilty of very much worshipping every single inch of it far too many times to count and he'd do it so over and over again without thinking twice because it's just second nature for him by now.

And Francis wouldn't want it to be any other way....

Or would he?

The aspiring magician never wanted Arnoldo to be skinnier in the first place,he just wanted a  _happier_ Arnoldo....with no traumatic past.

Which _could_ mean...

The talented teen is starting to wonder if he ended up changing things far more than he really should have or wanted at all in the first place.

The hardworking assistant would love his handsome,hot-tempered,Italian boss and partner in many ways unconditionally the very same way,yet....

What if he's a completely different person now? What then?

A tall,muscular Arnoldo who's a florist and actually _hates_ Francis' guts doesn't really....sound ideal at all now that he's thinking about it.

Perhaps...only the florist part,that sounds incredibly sweet,actually.

If Francis was ever drawn in any way to the tall,muscular side of things,the first and  _only_  love of his life wouldn't have been Arnoldo now,would it?

Granted,when the curly-haired,multi-talented teen first met his Grand Chef,it had felt like the brunet man was much taller to him at the time.

But still just as big.

Francis tried to turn on his back and stretch his own much thicker arms and legs,more fat than any actual muscle that used to be there by now,closing his eyes involuntarily in the process,frowning as he did so when the low,sleepy groan coming from right beside him sounded absolutely nothing like his Arnoldo,he would know,that voice never really ever fades from his mind and soul.

This new piece of information should definitely be concerning.

A completely different and supposedly 'better' Arnoldo should still be far more ideal than a completely different person altogether.

What if there's a stranger in this bed?!

Or  _Francis_  is the one who was sleeping on whoever this is' bed?!

That is not what Francis signed up for or....at least,that's not what he thought he would get as a result of his reckless wish and the hardworking waiter is starting to get a little bit panicked as he thinks everything over,not even sure if he wants to find out who is the mysterious person right by his side anymore.

For his own safety by this point.

But suddenly everything seemed to fall into place.

Francis went back to the past.....

..... to fix  _Arnoldo_ ,to protect  _him_  and his siblings from being abused since childhood by a vile man so his Chef and  _his_  family would grow up mentally healthier and much happier,no more terrifying,vivid nightmares,no more suffering.

No more pain.

That was the whole point.

If Arnoldo's much happier life doesn't include Francis anymore,so  _be it_ ,what matters is that Enzo Bertolazzi is dead and can do no more harm to anyone anymore.

Francis couldn't help the small frown creeping up and offering company to his soft,anxiety-filled features,as he fiddled with his hands,his  _Mission_  is already accomplished and he will have no choice but to move on,if his predictions are right.

The skilled waiter with olive green eyes looked cautiously to the side,someone mumbling something under their breath,lazily rubbing their eyes,scratching their disheveled....

Dark black,straight hair.

Nope,not Arnoldo,not even in the slightest,the short-tempered Italian man has very bright,light brown,(unaturally) wavy hair that shines under the morning sun through the windows and brings a huge smile to the young waiter's weary,pale face every single start of a new day.

Or at least used to.

Also his voice is a tad deeper than this,even in the early mornings.

 _Especially_  in the early mornings.

Those very same early mornings where Arnoldo would kiss him sloppily,lazily and still half asleep,his eyes still closed,leaving long lashes on display,trying to keep his loyal apprentice in bed yet rushing him out to go start breakfast already at the same time somehow.

Only the _Grand Chef_ Arnoldo could accomplish a feat like that.

Francis is starting to feel like he took all of those times for granted.

Because a lazy,unfocused,open-mouthed,morning kiss from Arnoldo would do wonders for the teen waiter's nerves right about now.

The curly-haired (ex?) assistant felt his body start to shake involuntarily,he started to sweat as he tugged at the hem of his shirt,fearful gaze scanning about the room for any clue of where he might be or who this unknown,shirtless person on this bed is.

It looked like a very _very_ messy yet rather fancy hotel room,furniture generic enough to not give the very distressed waiter much of a clue of where he might be,clothes were scattered around,phones,headphones,an open laptop......a big,magician hat.

Wait... that's random.

Doesn't take a genius to realize this is not the monorail....or a proper house,but rather somewhere very impersonal.

What is he doing at a hotel room with a 'supposedly' stranger?! 

The skilled waiter is hit by the terrifying thought that...just because Arnoldo is not the one the aspiring magician woke up to,doesn't mean they could not possibly still technically be together-

The curly-haired waiter's blood ran cold,he gripped impossibly hard to the edge of the blue duvet under him.

What if he's cheating on his Chef with this 'complete' stranger?!

Francis wouldn't do this to Arnoldo,would he? He wouldn't even dream of it...

The aspiring magician can't even fathom the minimal possibility,what would his prideful, _sensitive_  Boss even do if he knew about  _any_  of this?!

Francis has to do something about this whole madness and fast.

_ You're aching, you're breaking _  
_ And I can see the pain in your eyes _  
_ Says everybody's changing _  
_ And I don't know why _

"W-where am I....?" The overworked teen with curly hair managed to say out loud,biting his bottom lip and closing his big,frightened arms around himself,anguish creeping over his now larger frame.

"Fraaancis......it's too early for thiiiis...go back to sleep or somethin',will ya? I'm totally hangover and taking by how much you drank last night too,I know you are too....." said the boy with black hair,voice low,slurred and obviously pained.

Francis' mouth and eyes went wide as the boy turned on his back,stretching out his limbs the same way the talented assistant tried to do a few moments ago.

Except that the blankets fell to the side completely,uncovering the rest of the strange person's body to show he was actually stark naked.

Also he was unmistakably  _Rulo Rolando._

Francis shrieked impossibly loud as he jumped from the bed like it was electrocuting him to his core,Rolando rolled to the opposite side,trying to uselessly protect his ears from the shrill sound that so mercilessly hurt his pained,hungover brain,backside completely exposed to an outright horrified,young waiter.

"GET OUT OF  _MY_  BED!!!!! LEAVE!!!!! YOU NEED TO GO RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!!!! PLEASE!!!! WHY ARE YOU  _HERE_???? WHY ARE YOU  _NAKED_????" Francis screamed from the top of his lungs as he hit the handsome guitarist's body hard with the first pillow his trembling hands could reach,closing his teary,red eyes shut so he wouldn't look at an undressed Rolando longer than necessary.

And get in trouble with Arnoldo.

From all the things the young,raven-haired assistant was expecting after waking up,a drunk Rolando with no clothes at all,sleeping beside him on the same bed was veeeery far way from the list.

"Francis!!! Franciscocho!! Quit it already! Alright,alright.... I'm going,I'm going,sheesh.... Stop yellin',it's tearin' my head in half...you say you're a _man_ but you still have these moods just like a _girl_....." Rolando complained,scoffing,moving sluggishly and clumsily as he put blue boxers and a watermelon stamped shirt on,Francis found himself opening his eyes slightly to shoot the other boy a confused look.

" _YOU_ are the one naked here!!!! I have all the right in the world to say something about it!!!!! What will Arnoldo think of all this????!!!! He will never look me in the face again!!!!!! I'll be lucky if he doesn't just straight up kill me!!!" Francis found himself unable to lower his voice for the moment,he's hyperventilating,tears falling freely down his heated,deep red,round cheeks.

"Oh for fuck's sake,you never even met the guy!!!! You're a goddamn lunatic!!!! That's what you are!" The young guitarist yelled back,putting dark blue jeans on and standing up,huffing and barely giving so much as a glance at the panicked aspiring magician curling in on himself and slowly sinking to his knees on the floor.

"You know what?! This was the last time,you're a really good fuck but all the drama is just not worth it,dude,I'm out of here..." the blue-clad teen spat,putting a jean jacket over his shoulder,catching his wallet and keys,on his way to the door as a deeply distressed Francis loudly cried and hiccupped while his body shook terribly as he struggled to breathe properly.

"Wait.... I never met.... WE HAD _SEX_????!!!!!!!" Francis screamed from the top of his lungs at the retreating figure whose shot a dark,very confused glare at the boy with curly hair fallen to his knees,shaking his head in mostly pity and disdain.

He used to be so sure he loved this boy at some point.

Now? Rolando can only feel bad for Francis and pity him.

Beyond talented,rich,famous,gorgeous and succesful at a very young age.

Yet so very very miserable.

"Oh nonononono....this is bad,this is very very bad.... I can't believe I cheated on him,I betrayed Arnoldo's trust again....He will never ever forgive me...." Francis kept on crying and whispering to himself over and over as if on a desperate prayer in search for an impossible salvation,rocking his heavier body back and fourth on the carpeted floor.

The seemingly sudden,large increase in the panicked,raven-haired teen's weight did not go unnoticed by the young musician.

Guess Francis went on another late night eating spree again but this time he exaggerated way more,apparently,this obsession he has with the Grand,Italian Chef Arnoldo is certainly going to kill him sooner rather than later.

Rolando's dodging a bullet here,honestly.

Crazy  _and_  fat? He can't run away from here any faster,really.

Hopefully if Rolando plays his cards right (and he will),pleads prettily enough,Bobbi,one of the man's daughters,will take him back again.

Sunflowers are her favorite flowers,can't go wrong with that.

"Pffft,sicko,go back to therapy or whatever, _then_ we talk and.... _When_ did you even get _this_  fat?! You didn't look like this last night,how much can you even eat in one night?! Are you trying to be as big as  _him_? Hah! Good luck!!!" Rolando scoffed,his words meaning to be final as he opened the door,the young guitarist groaned as Francis meekly called for him,voice starting to get hoarse after he screamed so much,Rolando presumes.

"Wait,Rulo Rolando-"

"Francisquín? See ya around,you're just way too much more trouble than you're really worth." with that,the blue-clad teen turned and left,slamming the door after a horrified-looking Francis who looked an absolute mess by now.

"Wait,no!!! I need to- I need to know.....know what we _did_ ,know w- what  _I_  did....know what  _happened_..." the skilled,aspiring magician sobbed loudly as he covered his red face with both his hands,nothing seemed able to stop the immense amount of pain the once responsible waiter was feeling at this very moment.

Everything is crumbling down and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon.

"Francis!!! Oh my gosh!!! What happened????!!!! Rolando,what did you do to him _this_ time????" the young assistant felt his heart being put a little bit at ease by the very familiar,feminine,soothing voice.

 _Harmony_.

"I didn't do anything!!!  _He_  was the one who just woke up screaming out of nowhere like the psycho that he is!" Rolando exclaimed from the door,earning himself a punch on the arm by an incredulous-looking,once peaceful teen.

Francis wonders what happened to this Harmony that makes her go directly to violence as an immediate response rather than meditation.

"Ouch!" Rolando complained as he left,rubbing at his arm and cursing at both remaining teens.

Francis kept on chanting to himself,arms closed tight around his trembling form while the helpful girl with bright,caramel eyes ran to him,kneeling in front of the skilled boy with olive eyes,pretty features saddened yet sympathetic,a small,comforting,delicate hand finding itself by the young apprentice's thick shoulder.

Too practiced,as if this isn't the first time.

"Arnoldo won't like this at all.... He won't like this one bit,he will never  _ever_  love me again...."

* * *

_ So little time... _  
_ Try to understand that I'm _  
_ Trying to make a move just to stay in the game _  
_ I try to stay awake and remember my name _  
_ But everybody's changing and I don't feel the same...  _

"So..... Arnoldo and I never met?!  _Ever_???" Francis questioned his current assistant and still best friend,a heavily incredulous tone lacing his voice and soft,pale features as he took another sip of the warm,herbal tea Harmony made for the both of them,hands still somewhat shaky.

It took more than 30 minutes for the young,charming magician to finally calm down even slightly and take a good bearing of his new surroundings.

All this is....still a little insane,to say the least.

Francis,apparently,has been touring all over the world with his Grand Magic Stage Show for the past 4 months or so,it's his 3rd Worldwide Tour and he's supposed to be used to all this already,he even has a TV series that's on it's way to it's 3rd season and people _adore_ it,if what Harmony told him is right: She,Lila _and_ Carlos (who are mother and son??? What????) were the very ones who encouraged the former apprentice the most to follow his Magician career after he gave up Ballet at 15 for being.....too inadequate.

He never _once_ worked as a waiter in his life.

Everything has been going amazing so far,career and financially wise,this is his last show of the year,in his home country,Argentina,not his hometown though,for completely selfish reasons,he'd soon learn.

The Great Magician with gorgeous,raven curls is adored by many all over the world,people of various different places,countries,cultures and ages love him dearly,look up to him, would give their lives for him,be it to know his darkest,deepest secrets or simply to be in his mere presence.

Francis is a worldwide phenomenon who could have anyone he wants and be anywhere he wants in the world.

But the Grand Chef _Arnoldo_ would be vacationing in Buenos Aires with his family this Summer .... so even  _here_ ,on a universe where the former simple waiter never once met face to face with his prideful Boss,his heart is still with the older man,so that's where he always goes.

And that's where his mind and soul will always be.

With the person who shaped who he is,even if only from afar,without ever having any idea of it.

The skilled magician accomplished everything he could only dream of doing back in his old life in a span of only a handful of years.

Yet somehow Francis is feeling far more pathetic  _now_  than ever before.

Pining from afar sounds so much worse than pining right beside the person if the curly-haired,skilled teen really stops to think about it.

He doesn't want to stop to think about it.

 _Especially_ if everything indicates his and Arnoldo's lives are 'better' without each other.

Perhaps they're not even ever supposed to  _meet_ ,since both their lives still seem so connected,so many friends in common and _STILL_ they never met _once_.

Guess at least, _here_ ,it was never meant to be.

"No,Francis,I'm sorry to tell you." Harmony replied,shaking her head sympathetically,moving the spoon slowly around her own cup of tea,small frown adorning her delicate features.

She sounded genuinely heartbroken,looking like she was pitying him a little too.

Apparently,last night was his 'Big Shot' at finally, _succesfully_ ,introducing himself to the Grand Chef Arnoldo,the very person he adores,idolizes and lives for ever since he was still just a little girl starting ballet.

Yet he apparently blew it big time,got drunk out of his mind to forget about everything and Rolando,who may as well have been just as drunk as him but because of his own break up with (ex) girlfriend,still the handsome guitarist carried the talented,curly-haired teen back to the hotel.

And the rest..........

........... Is Terrifying History.

Francis shuddered almost involuntarily at that last haunting thought.

The former apprentice doesn't really comprehend why he feels so bad by the mere thought of having a serious compromise with someone else that is not Arnoldo.

Without _his_ permission,without _him_ being involved in some way.

The stubborn,Italian Chef naturally had a considerable amount of lovers before meeting the young waiter back in his old timeline,if anything,Francis should be happy that in  _this_ timeline,he gave himself the chance to be with other people since he's not bound to the hot-tempered,Italian man here.

Harmony even said he and her even dated at some point but it didn't quite work out.

How did any of this happen?!

Doesn't feel exactly like a bad dream.

But a very confusing one Francis still wishes to wake up from nonetheless.

No matter how selfish that thought really is,considering Arnoldo was 'fixed' and is _happy_ now.

Francis had to be out of his life for it to happen.

And he will just have to  _accept_  that.

No matter how much his own heart is breaking,his beloved Grand Chef is simply better off without him.

And Francis should be too.

"Everytime you find the opportunity to meet him,you run away last minute! Just like yesterday...he's still in town with his daughters though,they have front seats for your last show tonight,the girls _love_ you! They're crazy about you!!! Not everything is lost just yet..." the beautiful,helpful teen reasoned with a gentle,hopeful smile and a sly wink,setting a delicate hand on the former waiter's thick shoulder,rubbing it soothingly.

She is a very good friend but Francis is way too shocked and wide-eyed at this exact moment to properly appreciate her uplifting efforts as he definitely should.

"He has... _DAUGHTERS_???!!!!" the skilled,former assistant with deep,olive green eyes found himself helplessly shouting in a rather high pitched voice,curling in on himself and pulling at the sleeves of his shirt out of instinct right after realizing his sudden outburst.

Harmony carefully set her tea down,inhaling and exhaling deeply,hand on his shoulder squeezing softly,manner wildly distinct from the way _Arnoldo_ would have done.

And it was glaringly obvious to the raven-haired,charming magician.

He already missed Arnoldo's extremely familiar touch like nothing else.

Yet he has no other choice but to let go.

Francis is being just a little bit difficult today,Harmony tried to reassure herself,everyone has their worst days,this oughta be one of those,she ran her fingers around the cupholder softly,taking the other hand off her best friend's shoulder somewhat awkwardly,forcing an endearing smile to take over her pretty features.

"Uh...yes? One is Doris Delfina,worldwide famous,respected fashionista,the other is Roberta Regina,or Bobbi,which is how everyone (except Arnoldo) calls her,a very well known photographer.You are really good friends with them,you even trade dm's with both on Insta all the time...." Harmony said slowly,in what nearly resembled a casual tone,except somehow,Francis knew better.

He knew he was sounding absolutely crazy at the moment and she's talking to him slowly,like she would a toddler.

The talented,former dancer with raven curls was genuinely trying to keep up,he really was.

But Arnoldo has  _children_.....and that makes him even more unreachable than he already was before somehow.

He probably even has a  _WIFE_.

Could it be Inés????!!!!!

Francis shuddered even harder,licking the inside of his cheeks,fiddling with the hem of his jersey,trying his hardest to keep breathing properly and staying in the subject at hand.

Doris......

As a crucial part of  _Arnoldo's Family._

A Family he doesn't belong with anymore.

Or ever did in the first place.

"Doris is Arnoldo's daughter....." Francis whispered slowly to himself,forcibly pulling at his sleeve and staring inside his nearly empty cup of tea as if it would give him precise answers to all the problems in the world,Harmony tilted her head,running weary,slender fingers through her brown,wavy locks,trying to choose her words carefully as to not offend or hurt her longtime friend any further.

He is very  _sensitive_ ,you know?

"Francis,listen,you're really not ok,you're acting like you're literally just learning all this when pretty much everything I just told you is just stuff _you_ yourself told  _me_  in the first place." Harmony reasoned,gesturing a little wildly with her hands in front of her body,the forced,practically frightened smile she adorned,showing through.

She is starting to slowly lose her calm and composed demeanor.

It's never good news when that happens in his  _own_  timeline.

The hardworking,former assistant doesn't want to find out what happens when she loses it  _here_.

She already punched Rolando just for good measure.

"I suppose I drank so much last night,it messed up my memory?" Francis shrugged rather stiffly,uncomfortable gap-toothed grin and wild olive eyes to match,the handsome,former waiter really can't grasp his big head around the idea that  _THIS_  version of him very likely,actively gets  _drunk_.

His Chef would never, _ever_  allow something ludicrous and thoughtless such as this in a million years.

And the curly-haired magician can't even understand why  _any version_  of him would even want to.

Granted,Rulo Rolando was involved.

And there was no Arnoldo around to tell Francis bad from right or wrong from good.

The two of them together were bad  _and_  right,wrong  _and_  good.

Without him,Francis is feeling completely lost.

The former apprentice really needs Arnoldo back to put sense into him and put him back together.

The former,overworked apprentice is just too sure that in this timeline,the feeling won't be mutual in any way at all.

And that's how things should have always been.

"Francis! You're not a big drinker at all! Also I was there,okay? Something's wrong,you're hiding something from me! You promised to not do that anymore! Please,I'm your best friend... You know I can help you with anything... Just be honest with me..." the former azafata exclaimed vehemently,slender hand reaching for Francis' own restless one,deep desperation seeping through her sweet voice,Francis gulped nervously.

"Harmony-" the curly-haired,hardworking teen tried to say.

"Was it Rolando? Did he  _hurt_  you?!" Harmony asked cautiously,tentative,slim fingers running worriedly under the older teen's soft chin,Francis frowned adorably at the mostly unexpected,loving touch he was receiving.

Loving touches like hers,mindful,delicate and feather-light,they are a completely new territory,a completely new feeling.

And it's scary as hell.

_ You're gone from here _  
_ Soon you will disappear _  
_ Fading into beautiful light _  
_ 'Cause everybody's changing _  
_ And I don't feel right _

"No! I....at least I don't think so...." Francis trailed off unsurely,stiffly yet very politely pushing his current helpful assistant's hand away from his currently heating,reddening face.

"Then what-" Harmony tried but was quickly interrupted,looking a little hurt that Francis pushed her hand away,he used to  _like_  when she did that.

Yet the purple-clad,peaceful teen tried to disguise her distraught feelings, _he's_  the priority here, _he's_  the one no one can afford to lose or replace,she kept her concerned expression in place for his sake instead.

"Who is Doris and Bobbi's mother?" Francis asked in a deathly serious,nearly somber tone,rubbing his right arm with one hand,subconsciously pulling at his sleeve once in a while.

Harmony only rolled her eyes and bit her thin bottom lip,one hand rubbing against the other under the table,her patience was wearing thin by now but what's the point in arguing? It won't help anyone,it's simply best to play along.

"Inés Pinaca,the famous,renowned food critic is Doris'mom,but she died of food poisoning long ago,people even say it was done by someone from her own crew." Harmony explained,it was almost sick how relieved the curly-haired famous magician looked upon receiving these news.

"Life moved on,Arnoldo and Natalio became much closer at the time,they got married and adopted Bobbi togethe-" Harmony kept explaining matter-of-factly,trying her hardest to keep out of her voice the deep exasperation and slight fearfulness she was feeling deeply at this exact moment.

She is never letting Francis near a drink ever again as long as they live.

" _ARNOLDO_   _AND_   _NATALIO_????!!!!!" the skilled,raven-haired magician shrieked loudly,looking beyond horrified and even more pale than he already is,Harmony's hands instinctively covered her ears and her bright caramel eyes closed shut.

This is such a long day and not even an hour passed since Francis first woke up.

" _Please_ ,Francis,you need to inhale,exhale softly and relax as if you were surrounded by the nature ... I mean,they broke up a few years ago,after all-" Harmony tried to reassure and instruct her magician friend,trying to reach for his agitated,frantic hands yet again but he gripped firmly to the marbled surface of the fancy dining table the two teens were currently set in instead.

No time to breathe.

No time to relax.

"NATALIO HAS HIS  _MEMORY_???!!!" Francis exclaimed in absolute baffled disbelief,his gorgeous brown/green eyes wide,lost and confused as ever.

Harmony took the moment to run the pads of her fingers over her very tense temples,inhaling and exhaling several times herself,taking two flower crowns out of thin air and placing them urgently above both ttheir heads.

Francis reached a trembling hand up to touch it and see if it was real,the raven-haired magician briefly contemplated the possibility that perhaps Harmony knows some magic of her own too.

She _has_ to.

"He was not supposed to?! I'm sorry to say it,Francis,but _YOU'RE_ the one here who looks like you really lost yours for good...." the young,mostly peaceful teen trailed off,finally managing to get a grasp of the older's hands,instructing him to breath in deeply,the teen magician did so almost involuntarily,letting his tense,broad shoulders drop instinctively.

Francis has the slight impression this 'ritual' happens a little too often for his liking,she kept speaking regardless,rubbing a lithe thumb over the back of his hand,taking her time letting go of him,the boy with thick,curly hair bit his lip anxiously.

"Anyway...Grand Chef Arnoldo is currently single which got you making secret,nonstop wedding plans for the past two years,it's pretty creepy,because he's like,60." Harmony rolled her eyes fondly,smirking knowingly,resting her chin over the back of her hand,she can't help but find it a little endearing yet nearly tragic how Francis still acts like a 12-year-old kid with a huge crush on his mentor.

The skilled magician may or may not still have 'Mr. Francis Bertolazzi' scribbled all over his diaries,notebooks and sketchbooks to this day.

He's hopeless and probably a little pathetic as well.

But who would have the heart to tell him that?

"51." Francis corrected quickly,without missing a beat,dark gaze intense,licking the inside of his cheeks.

How wouldn't she know that?! His Birthday was just two months ago....

" _NOW_  you choose to remember something ..." Harmony mumbled,mostly to herself,in clear frustration with this whole situation.

This boy just doesn't feel like  _her_  Francis at all and she needs to get to the bottom of this and learn what's really going on here.

Just in case her kind,generous,talented longtime friend is in danger.

She had noticed right away,his obvious weight gain and the soccer shirt the young,helpful assistant never saw him wear before,it looked tight and really good on him,actually.

Also Francis really didn't have any clear hangover symptoms,since he gets drunk fairly easily,one or two shots are enough to get dizzy already.

Still she already has enough to deal with as it is.

Harmony is suddenly very glad that tonight is the last show of this Tour.

Because she really  _really_  could use a break right about now.

"And Natalio?" the curly-haired teen found himself asking somewhat aprehensively,trying to recompose himself better after his rather uncalled for outbursts,nervously biting his lip and picking at his shirt

Francis ran his pale fingers alongside the team logo fondly,sad smile trying to snake it's way around his soft features as he recalled good memories from the game he went to see with Arnoldo and his family.

The Family the former skilled waiter wished he could have remained a part of so badly.

Why couldn't he stay in the past?!

Have Arnoldo look up to  _him_  and worship  _him_  instead?

So selfish..... That Francis......

"Natalio what?" Harmony said flatly,pouring more tea in their cups,both teens were desperately needing it today.

"Did he find someone else?" Francis elaborated his question more clearly,instantly diving on his tea right after,he was genuinely intrigued by all the events surrounding his new life.

Trying to figure out a quick yet smooth way to ease himself into it without this much initial shock.

He and Arnoldo are happy and succesful on their own,he can do this.

He. Can. Do.  _This_.

_ I try to stay awake and remember my name _  
_ But everybody's changing and I don't feel the same _

Before properly answering,Harmony took a small sip from her own tea and let a deep sigh escape her red lips,she tried her best to lock gazes with her seemingly forgetful friend,Francis did not meet her bright,aprehensive eyes at first,yet he reluctantly did so once she finally spoke again.

Here it goes....

"Yes.....he did,Francis,he's currently engaged to Topa! Your  _Dad_ ,even  _YOU_ call him Dad already! For heaven's sake! You and the girls joke all the time that all of you call Natalio 'Dad'... _Look_ ,this is starting to get a little ridiculous,if I'm honest...." the peaceful,brunette teen assistant tried very hard to keep her frustration,slight agressiveness and impatience out of her soft voice,she really did.

But how can he forget something like this????

How can he forget his own  _family_???

"TOPA IS MY  _DAD_????!!!!!" Francis shrieked loudly yet again,flailing his thick arms and sputtering tea everywhere.

Harmony simply threw her head on her hands,muffling an inevitable groan,purple flower crown falling over the mess on the small dining table.

The former,raven-haired apprentice looked instantly guilty,quickly standing up and proclaiming a sea of apologies as he rushed to look around for a rag and cleaning products for the table.

As far as Francis is concerned,not only the table has to be cleaned but his mind altogether also.

The obscene amount of beyond suggestive,wet dreams the skilled magician had over the years regarding the firm,lingering touches of a man he's supposed to call 'Dad' now are far too many for Francis' sanity right now.

Not even counting the 'nastier' ones where  _Arnoldo_  was heavily involved.

In reality,his stubborn Grand Chef is very, ** _very_**  possessive,which is really hot,if the raven-haired boy is truly honest to himself.

Yet it also meant involving the then enthusiastic,purple-clad Captain into any of their...'nightly'  _activities_ was nearly impossible,so the probability of being roughly taken by both at the same in the middle of Arnoldo's kitchen was purely reserved to Francis' fantasies and daydreams only.

Even if the skilled magician is absolutely sure _his_ Arnoldo still nurtures old feelings for Topa due to their past together years ago,before the former apprentice was even born.

Which always gave Francis the tiniest,smallest minuscule bit of hope that the three of them could ever be together someday.

Here? Scrap all that to below zero.

The former responsible waiter shuddered involuntarily,scrubbing the marbled surface much harder than actually necessary.

He doesn't feel sincere even referring to what they did as 'nightly' activities,they happened any time Arnoldo wanted, _anywhere_  Arnoldo wanted.

And everyone knew about it.

Francis really took those times for granted after all,didn't he?

Because the way things are right now,he will never even  _speak_  to his prideful,gorgeous,Italian Chef again.

The skilled magician shook his head frantically side to side,biting hard on his lip and scrubbing even harder until his hand started to hurt.

Arnoldo's  _happy_  now.... 

You fixed _his_ life,Francis.... 

As long as  _he's_  happy now.....

Nothing else really matters.

"Yi yi,Francis....You have people to clean all this for you,just let them do their job,okay? .... You know what? I give up,I'd suggest you lay back down and rest some more,I can tell you really need it before the show tonight." Harmony stood up also,stopping behind the older teen,hands instinctively closing delicately around Francis' arms,slowly guiding him back to his hotel room.

The young,former assistant fought back against her soothing actions at first,her fingers tapping swiftly around his arms,he felt so tired.....

This was all so much,the skilled magician ultimately gave in,albeit reluctantly so,letting the wet rag fall on the table,allowing himself be guided by his best friend out of the kitchen and the dining room altogether.

"Topa is my Dad.... Arnoldo is Doris' Dad and he has two kids...." Francis whispered to himself repeatedly,pulling at the sleeve of his jersey as they stepped into the now,squeaky clean,hotel room.

When did this even happen?

He doesn't remember anyone coming in or out of this place....

Perhaps the curly-haired,former waiter was too wrapped up in his own world to notice.

A world where having a heated threesome with your Hot  _Boss_ and your Hot _Dad_ who used to be lovers in the past is acceptable,apparently.

Francis is doomed.

"Two  _adult_ kids: Bobbi is 18,Doris is 22." Harmony declared matter-of-factly,completely unaware of her magician friend's dark thoughts as Francis sat on the bed and she started to tuck him in as if he was a child.

It is all so strange.

Strange like a genuine,alternate reality would feel.

Unsettling,uncomfortable, _strange_.

"Oh....And what about the twins!!! Are they Carlos' brothers still or related to Arnoldo as well? Because honestly,I'm feeling a little bad for Lila already if she's their mom now and-" Francis found he was rather curious about all this as well as he rambled on while involuntarily letting himself be laid down on the large hotel bed.

The charming magician sort of had an idea of what Rolando has been up to,Carlos as of recently,decided to follow Arnoldo's footsteps of becoming a Cook,it seems.He played drums for Francis' Stage Show for a couple of years before doing a complete 180 on his career path,good for him.

Ironic as it may be,Francis genuinely wishes he could go back to just simply being a waiter.

No,he's not that desperate,he can figure things out.

He can do this.

For _Arnoldo_ and his _Family_.

_ You're gone from here _  
_ Soon you will disappear _

After everything Harmony had told Francis this past hour,funnily enough,the helpful,brunette assistant did absolutely no mentions of Ricardo whatsoever yet.

Where is he? What happened to him? What happened to _them_? Is he a rough subject now?

_ Everybody's changing and I don't feel the same _

Harmony merely queried back,delicate features somewhat confused,well-trimmed brows furrowed together in deep thought.

"What twins?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pan pan paaaaaaaan


End file.
